- "It's a little sobering. When you're training for this, you joke about, you can't wait for the real thing. Then when you see it, when you see the real thing, you never want to see it again."
- "God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars."-Elbert Hubbard
- "Be the change you want to see in the world." --Mahatma Ghandi (1869 - 1948)
CAPT. SAL AGUILAR, after a battle near Baghdad.
- Public Seems to Tolerate War's Death Toll
- One Woman Enrages War Rally with Her Heartfelt Message: 'I Love My Country But...'
- Imperial Power Or Global Partner?
- See related action here.
- U.S. Set to Take Government Reins In Parts of Iraq
- See related action here.
- A Gruesome Scene on Highway 9
- According to a report published in Knight Ridder newspapers, the surviving members of the family whose vehicle was fired upon at the checkpoint said they were traveling toward allied lines because they thought an air-dropped leaflet had advised them to flee for safety (AP 4/2/03)
- Clean-diesel technology now being field-tested in Chicago rail yards holds promise for reducing the tons of pollution that switching locomotives spew on a daily basis. Chicago Tribune
- Organic might finally mean organic: US Senate repeals an exemption that allowed chicken farmers to call their product organic even if the chickens never ate organic meal. Washington Post
- Syria now top US target for 'regime change'
- Africa's gorillas and chimpanzees are dying off at a startling rate despite their protected status as Ebola virus and increased hunting for bushmeat in protected lands lead to 56% population decline. Washington Post
- Citing excessive meddling, Republicans in US Senate block bill by Sen. Corzine [D-NJ] that would compel companies to use less volatile compounds at sites near population centers to minimize security risks. Easton Express-Times
- Pa. Lawmakers Propose 'Tax Me More' Fund
- Apr. 5, 2003. 01:00 AM
- Gas Prices Will Keep Falling, U.S. Says
- But it's not about the oil. Riiiiiight.
- Bill Would Force Out Autism Lawsuits
- Report: Army Chaplain Refuses Water Unless Troops Baptized
- Related story here.
- March, street theater take on FBI, Patriot Act
- The Last Refuge
- Florida's sugar industry hires a new crew of lobbyists to push a bill that environmentalists fear would severely set back Everglades restoration effort. Miami Herald
- Reuters, Tele 5 Cameramen Die in Iraq Hotel Blast
- Gulf War Syndrome, The Sequel
- Senate Rolls a Pork Barrel Into War Bill
- Hold Your Applause
- Dances With Wolfowitz
- Iraq: Civilians under fire
- UNICEF urges coalition forces to change aid packet wrapping for children’s safety
- Same problem they had in Afghanistan, but they apparently didn't care enough about dead kids to fix it.
- The mystery of Saddam's banned arms
- I Miss America
- Chemical hypocrites
- Sliding towards anarchy
- US says flag incident was a 'coincidence'
- GM pulling plug on electric cars
- Police Stop Collecting Data on Protesters' Politics
- Victims of Plastic and Rubber Bullets
- What about Private Lori?
- Agency wages media battle
- 'We shoot them down like the morons they are': US general
- French TV film shows US tank blasting hotel
- Photos from the Oakland protests (wounded and weapons)
By JODI WILGOREN with ADAM NAGOURNEY
Most Americans interviewed Monday said the casualties had not eroded their support for the war in Iraq, as long as success was in sight.
by Roy MacGregor
WHEELING, W. VA. -- If Jessica Lynch is the bravest woman in America, the second-bravest may well be Angelica Amaya.
The Right Way To Rebuild Iraq
William Hartung is director of the Arms Trade Resource Center at the World Policy Institute and the author of The Hidden Costs of War
By Glenn Kessler and Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, April 8, 2003; Page A15
A Pentagon-appointed former U.S. general yesterday prepared to establish administrative authority over parts of Iraq as hundreds of Iraqi exiles arrived in southern Iraq to assist the U.S. military authorities.
10 Dead After Vehicle Shelled at Checkpoint
"Cease fire!" Johnson yelled over the radio. Then, as he peered into his binoculars from the intersection on Highway 9, he roared at the platoon leader, "You just [expletive] killed a family because you didn't fire a warning shot soon enough!"
By Toby Harnden in Washington
(Filed: 08/04/2003)
One of the main subjects on the agenda of the Belfast summit yesterday was Syria, the Pentagon's next likely target for "regime change" amid suspicions it allowed Saddam Hussein to transfer weapons of mass destruction within its borders.
Tue Apr 8,11:40 AM ET
By MARTHA RAFFAELE, Associated Press Writer
HARRISBURG, Pa. - State lawmakers across the nation have come up with an unusual alternative to raising taxes for their cash-strapped states: "Tax Me More" funds that rely on donations from taxpayers.
The shape of World War IV, by number
VINAY MENON
Never before has liberation seemed so perilous.
"Overcoming evil is the noblest cause and the hardest work," declares U.S. President George W. Bush. "And the liberation of millions is the fulfillment of America's founding promise."
Tue Apr 8, 4:38 PM ET
By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - After falling nearly a dime in three weeks, gasoline prices are expected to keep sliding to a national average of $1.56 a gallon this summer thanks to lower oil prices and optimism about the war in Iraq (news - web sites), the government says.
By LAURA MECKLER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - More than 200 lawsuits that claim a link between childhood vaccines and autism would be forced out of court under legislation set for action in the Senate.
POSTED: 8:34 a.m. EDT April 9, 2003
WASHINGTON -- The president of the Interfaith Alliance says he's "appalled" at reports that a military chaplain in Iraq wouldn't give troops water unless they agreed to be baptized.
By Katy Murphy,
Herald-Times Staff Writer
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Self-styled patriots are trying to impose constraints on political speech, accusing anyone who criticizes the president of undermining the war effort.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. tank fired on a Baghdad hotel packed with foreign journalists on Tuesday, killing two cameramen, one from Reuters, the other from Spanish television.
'People Are Sick Over There Already'
Steven Rosenfeld is a commentary editor and audio producer for TomPaine.com.
Soldiers now fighting in Iraq are being exposed to battlefield hazards that have been associated with the Gulf War Syndrome that afflicts a quarter-million veterans of the 1991 war, said a former Central Command Army officer in Operation Desert Storm.
By DAVID FIRESTONE
In their haste to pass the war bill, many senators never realized last week that they were also voting to send $10 million to a research station at the South Pole.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
MM QASR, Iraq It's hard to smile when there's no water. It's hard to applaud when you're frightened. It's hard to say, "Thank you for liberating me," when liberation has meant that looters have ransacked everything from the grain silos to the local school, where they even took away the blackboard.
By MAUREEN DOWD
The end of Operation Iraqi Freedom should not mark the beginning of Operation Eternal War.
Amnesty International (AI) is deeply concerned about the mounting toll of civilian casualties in Iraq and the reported use of cluster bombs by US forces in heavily populated areas. Despite repeated assurances from US and UK authorities that they would do everything possible to protect the Iraqi people, since 20 March hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed. Some have been victims of cluster bombs; some have died in attacks in disputed circumstances. AI urges all the warring parties to make the safety of Iraqi civilians a top priority.
AMMAN, 2 April 2003 -- UNICEF expressed concern today about reports that coalition forces in Iraq are handing out yellow packages of humanitarian aid that are identical in colour to some of the bombs they are dropping.
Chemical and biological weapons
By Jon B. Wolfsthal (IHT)
Monday, April 7, 2003
WASHINGTON: As each day passes without chemical or biological weapons being found in Iraq, questions increase. In Washington, battle lines are already being drawn about what the success or failure to find such weapons in Iraq might mean for the legitimacy of the war itself.
Even Dick Nixon looks good to me now
by Alan Bisbort - April 3, 2003
As it struggles to justify its invasion, the US is getting ready to use banned weapons in Iraq
George Monbiot
Tuesday April 8, 2003
· Looting of hospitals and homes
· Mob murders leading cleric
· Fall of Kirkuk alarms Turkey
Julian Borger in Washington and Nicholas Watt
Friday April 11, 2003
By Kim Sengupta in Baghdad
11 April 2003
It was, by any measure, an astonishing coincidence. As the biggest statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad was pulled down "spontaneously" in front of the world's media, the Stars and Stripes which flew on the Pentagon on 11 September was at hand to be draped over its face.
Wednesday, April 9, 2003 Posted: 9:40 AM EDT (1340 GMT)
SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- The celebrated ride of the car that spawned the nation's toughest emissions regulation ends at a parking lot in Southern California, where a growing fleet of General Motors electric cars awaits an uncertain fate.
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
When a series of large antiwar protests began nearly eight weeks ago, the New York Police Department started questioning hundreds of people arrested at the demonstrations about their prior political activity and recording the information in a database.
People have died from the ammo used against protesters at peace rallies
For the last week America has been gripped by the 'Saving Private Jessica' mission. But nobody wanted to hear the sadder story of her friend and tentmate Private Lori Piestewa, who died in combat. Gary Younge reports from her home town of Tuba City, Arizona
Team makes sure war message is unified, positive
By Bob Kemper
Washington Bureau
Published April 7, 2003
WASHINGTON -- The Office of Global Communications, a controversial agency created by President Bush in January, has blossomed into a huge production company, issuing daily scripts on the Iraq war to U.S. spokesmen around the world, auditioning generals to give media briefings and booking administration stars on foreign news shows.
By Lindsay Murdoch Herald Correspondent south of Baghdad
April 9 2003, 11:05 AM
Hundreds of Muslim fighters, many of them non-Iraqis, were putting up a stronger fight for Baghdad than Iraq's Republican Guard or the regular army, a top United States military officer said yesterday.
April 08 2003 at 04:57PM
Baghdad - Footage filmed by France 3 television of a strike on a hotel which killed two journalists in Baghdad on Tuesday shows a US tank targeting the journalists' hotel and waiting at least two minutes before firing, according to an AFP correspondent who viewed the film.
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- How to Talk about Peace without Making Enemies
- Vigil Fridays, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. York Square Contact: Leada, alt-leadadietz@blazenet.net
- A call for a Women's International Peace Action has been sent out for Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12. Women in Black, Lancaster will join in this action by participating in the weekly silent vigil in Penn Square from 11 a.m. until noon. At noon they will take a "wordless" walk from the square to the courthouse steps and remain there for an additional 15 minute vigil. The tone for the walk will be set by the slow cadence of sorrowful drumming. During the vigil the drums will continue as an expression of the sorrow and agony experienced by all who are victims of the war in Iraq. All who wish to join in this walk, please gather under the Women in Black banner at noon.
- April 12-13
- Supporters of the Carlisle Peace College have received a permit to assemble the second Saturday of every month. From the square in Gettysburg continue south on Baltimore St to the third traffice light. Bear right on Steinwehr Ave and continue several blocks. The entrance to the military park is opposite the train museum. Tho park, turn right on Culp Street next to the musuem and left on Johns Ave. Contact: Janet Powers, jpowers@gettsyburg.edu
- Penn Square Vigil group on the 2nd Saturday of the month
- PEACE MARCH April 12 DC Rally busses
- Dear Friends:
- Mondays Noon-1 p.m. Peace vigil, 3rd & Walnut, across from the Federal Bldg., Harrisburg
- Tuesdays 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Women in Black Harrisburg
- Weekly Peace Prayer Vigil at Harrisburg Peace Garden on Wednesdays 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Location: Front Street between MacClay and Emerald Streets Please come for as much time as you can- five minutes to an hour. We will be gathering in the middle of the garden by the Fredrick Franck sculptures. Contact Ruby Stickel at 599-5410, rubys717@aol.com
- Franklin County Citizens for Peace Vigils Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Location: Chambersburg Square
- Peace Prayer Vigil Wednesdays Time: 5:15 pm
- Lancaster Women in Black Vigil Wednesdays Time: 5:30pm-6:00 pm
- Worship in the Quaker style focus on Peace Wednesdays
- Earth Day Peace Walk and Picnic
- In a couple of days this latest batch of snow will all be a memory, the sun will be shining and the new growth of the season will be putting on quite the display!
- Join MMM FL Rally at Orlando NRA Convention on April 26th
- Earth Day Event Date: Sunday April 27, 2003
- Spoutwood Farm Center, an organization dedicated to bringing people and nature together, presents The 12th Annual May Day Fairie Festival. This year’s May Day Fairie Festival will be held at Spoutwood Farm on May 3rd and 4th from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day. Admission is $10 for adults (over 12), $5 for kids (ages 3 to 12), and free for those under 3. Those who decide to volunteer when they arrive at the festival can request a 2-hour job assignment; upon completion, the admission fee will be refunded.
- Peace Everyone,
Date: Friday April 11, 2003
Time: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Location: Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown College
Reservations required.
The Young Center for Anabaptist and Priest Studies
Contact: 361-1470 or youngctr@etown.edu
The History and Future of the Struggle for a Free Palestine
Come hear about the history and future of Palestinian civilian restitance movement, the colonialism and occupation of Palestinian land, Zionism, and the role of the US in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
To preregister go to www.onepalestine.org Cost $15 per person.
Contact: NECDP@onepalestine.org
MIT Campus Building 54 RM 100 For carpooling from Harrisburg, contact Keren at keren41@aol.com
PENN SQUARE (Lancaster)SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 11-NOON
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE TO COME AND JOIN US
FOR A SILENT VIGIL AND WITNESS FOR P E A C E!
Bus trip to Washington from Harrisburg
$20, $15 for students
contact Melissa orion@paonline.com tel (717)691-5496
In these turbulent times, more than ever before, we need to spread and promote good and healing Qi. I sincerely invite you to join us on April 12 to honor the World Tai Chi & Qigong day, the purpose of which is stated eloquently by Bill Douglas, World Tai Chi & Qigong Day founder, as follows: "On April 12, 2003, from 10 - 11 AM, beginning in the Earth's earliest time zone, a peaceful soothing event will unfold, as it blooms around
the Earth throughout the entire day - time zone by time zone. Gently and effortlessly the world will breathe together in a Thai Chi and Qigong relay of calm." (see www.worldtaichiday.org)
Location: Buchanan Park next to F&M College in Lancaster, off Race Ave. (in the Pavilion if raining) Time:9:45 AM - We will do some warm-up exercises first before we begin at 10 AM.
Parking: To avoid street parking, you can use the parking lot of Wheatland Presbyterian Church at 1125 Columbia Ave. The entrance to the parking lot is on President Ave. ALL ARE WELCOME, AND NO EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED. PLEASE BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.Sincerely,Sharon Kent(717) 295-1246
www.uniquehealingsolution.com
Silent vigil at County courthouse steps
Every Wednesday at the square from 12noon to 1pm and 5:30 to 6pm. Please bring signs.
Location: St. Stephens Episcopal Cathedral
Street: 221 North Front Street Harrisburg, PA
Location: Steps of the Lancaster County Court House
All women and men of peace welcome to join.
Contact: Mary, Dmlev3@aol.com
Time: 6:15 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Meeting room of the Friends Meetinghouse
Street: 1100 North Sixth (and Herr Sts.)Harrisburg, PA
Contact: Blair Seitz 238-7878, seitzinc@aol.com
Tent for Lent April 13-14
Location: Eisenhower Lawn, Messiah College
Students will be sleeping in tents and holding services in solidarity with Palestinian and Iraqi refugees.
Contact: Janelle, js1377@messiah.edu
Date: Saturday April 19, 2003
Time: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location: Lancaster Old Courthouse
The Willow Grove Circle of Spiral Scouts are planning a family picnic on April 19th beginning about 1:00 p.m. at Rocky Ridge Park just off of Mt. Zion Road/Route 24 in the Ruffed Grouse pavilion. Anyone wishing to get together with other Pagan Families in the area please join us in celebration of Earth Day.
We'd ask that you bring a side dish along to share, Spiral Scouts will be providing hot dogs and hamburgers. And please remember that as in all things that involve Spiral Scouts the KIDS come first. This applies to the food line as well, so if you wanna make sure there's still goodies left when the tall folk get their turn bring enough to share *grins*
After everyone has a chance to chow down we plan to have a Spiral Scouts circle meeting to talk about Earth Day and recycling. If there are any families that would like to see how a Spiral Scouts circle goes here's your chance and we'd love to meet you. Any that are not interested in the Spiral Scouts meeting can take a nice walk on the trails, play on the playground and just enjoy being outdoors a while. Any questions please email me.Hope to see you there,Nancy Worley Willow Grove Circle #41 York, PA
All Million Mom March members and supporters who share our concern for the safety of America's children are cordially invited to join in the public demonstration on Saturday April 26th at the Orlando Convention center. This is the National Rifle Association's annual convention where they will be featuring Jeb Bush as their Keynote Speaker on Saturday night.
The MMM Florida State Council is sponsoring this rally to expose theextremist NRA agenda and to show our support for sensible gun laws. The NRA opposes the ban on assault weapons. We must enforce, renew and strengthen the federal assault weapon ban that is due to expire in 2004. We must keep weapons of war, like Uzis and AK-47s, out of our neighborhoods. Shame on Florida! Florida has received a D+ rating by the Million Mom March for their failure to enact even the most basic laws to protect our children. We will be calling upon Jeb Bush and Florida legislators to enact common sense gun laws that protect the lives of our children. The program begins a 9 a.m. We will have more concrete details on our activities and where we will meet on next week's E-News. Million Mom March chapters from around the country will have memorial displays at the site as we honor and remember the lives of those lost to gun violence. Nine young people die every day in America from gun violence. Please join us as we make our voices heard around the country at this important public demonstration to expose the extremism of the NRA leadership and advocate for sensible gun laws. For more information, including information on bus transportation to the staging area, please e-mail us at our local Orlando command site at: exposetheNRA@millionmommarch.org.
Location: Millersville University
Contact: Anthony Robalik, arobalik@conestogaclub.org
As some of you may already know, we are beginning to plan a Community Peace & Non-violence event at Roberto Clemente Field for May 17th, a Saturday, from 2 - 6 pm. I am asking that those who will be having a table for this event, please get in touch with me so I can begin a planning schedule. I will also be seeking some speaking and singing talents in a short time. I prefer a call, but you can also e-mail me with information. Thanks so much...
Love & Compassion,
Mary L. Ries (717) 295-0239
People's Peace Project for Youth
Lancaster Peace Coalition, actions group
buddahchild104@yahoo.com
- Fifty-Five Ways for Board Members to Raise $500
The Board of Directors Grassroots Fundraising Journal Reprint Collection by Stephanie Roth and Kim Klein
It’s tax time when most of us learn how much we send to the Federal Government, but few of us really know where it goes. Well, here’s how Congress allocates the money it controls:
That big “X” represents the money we could reallocate by trimming the Pentagon budget just 15%. The retired admirals and generals who advise us agree we could do this just by canceling Cold War weapons systems like nuclear weapons and StarWars which do nothing to keep us safe. Fill out this form and we’ll send a fax to your Member of Congress telling them how you’d really like your money spent.
Backtrack to Colonialism
The administration believes that a US occupation of Iraq is the first step toward democratizing the Middle East. Certainly support for democracy should be a major creed of US foreign policy, but the occupation of Iraq won't forward that aim. The rest of the world views an occupation of Iraq as an attempt by the US to build a stronghold from which it may extend influence throughout the Middle East.
According to the New York Times, the United States is preparing to establish immediate sole control of postwar Iraq, initially without recourse to the United Nations. Senior administration officials have indicated that a civilian administration will operate under the direct command of the US military. It is clear that the US prefers that any UN involvement in Iraq be subordinate to the Pentagon.
Read more at: http://www.peace-action.org/home/backtrack.html
Speak Out Against a US Occupation
A military occupation of Iraq is not in the best interest of democracy. Get the attention of your community and members of Congress by helping Peace Action publish letters to the editors in hundreds of papers throughout the nation. You can use our sample at: http://www.peace-action.org/home/backtrack.html
Donate
Help Peace Action build an effective citizen movement: http://www.peace-action.org/join/joinopt.html
Carrie Benzschawel
Program Associate
Peace Action Education Fund
cbenzschawel@peace-action.org
http://www.peace-action.org
202.862.9740x3041
fax: 202.862.9762
1819 H St., NW, #425
Washington, DC 20006
More than 1 million Iraqis are displaced, according to U.N. estimates. Many of these are families with children. Many have no access to basic hygiene supplies and are living in desperate conditions. Relief organizations working in Iraq have said items in these kits are critical and have asked for more to be sent. Efforts are now underway to distribute kits to internally displaced refugees within Iraq. FOR is encouraging groups to assemble relief kits as a community and educational activity. In order to provide the same comfort to all the recipients and to meet the exacting licensing standards for shipments, please follow instructions carefully, make sure all items are NEW and include ALL of the items listed. Limit your generosity to the contents listed. Thank you for caring and sharing!
How to put a kit together...
4 bars of soap
1 plastic bottle of shampoo (13 - 24 ounce size or 450 - 830 milliliters). Place in plastic bag.
1 tube of toothpaste (minimum 8 ounces or 100 milliliters)
4 adult-size toothbrushes (leave in packaging)
1 hairbrush
1 wide-tooth comb
1 finger nail clipper
1 box of adhesive bandages (minimum 40,
assorted preferred)
Please package each kit individually in either 2-gallon Zip-loc bags or plastic shopping bags. If possible, donors are encouraged to include $5.00 for each kit to help pay international shipping costs. Do not send cash or personal notes in these kits.
Please collect the money and write a check for the total amount - payable to:
Emergency and Material Assistance Program
1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102-7283.
The health kits can be sent to the following collection center:
AFSC
1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102-7283
The deadline for receiving kits is April 30
Voices from the Middle East
Middle East News: What the American Media won't tell you
A new free service from the FOR!
Do you wonder what people in the Middle East are hearing about the war in Iraq? The Fellowship of Reconciliation is compiling daily news reports from various Middle Eastern online newspapers and websites and translating them from Arabic, Persian and Hebrew into English. Click here for today's news.
M A R A Z U L C H A R T E R S , I N C .
725 River Rd.
Edgewater, NJ 07020
http://www.marazulcharters.com
info@marazulcharters.com
(800) 223 - 5334
April 4, 2003
Dear Clients and Friends,
As you know, the U.S. has maintained restrictions on travel to Cuba for most of the last 40 years. For the past dozen years, the door has opened more and more, and tens of
thousands of people like yourselves have traveled to Cuba on educational, humanitarian, and religious licenses. On March 24th, the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) which issues these licenses - announced they are eliminating the license for people to people educational exchange, the second largest category of travel
to Cuba (after family visits).....(see further arguments at bottom) We urge you to do the following as quickly as possible:
Write to OFAC (they will accept comments until May 23) at:
Chief of Records Attn: Request for Comments
Office of Foreign Assets Control
Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20220
- Send a copy of your letter to your Congressional representative and your Senators and urge them to join the House or Senate Cuba Working Groups (see attached lists),
both of which are leading efforts to end the travel restrictions.
- Send us copies of your correspondence. If we remain silent, our rights will be taken away and the progress we have made will be reversed. Freedom is a constant struggle and we need to act immediately.
The Senate Cuba Working Group
-----------------------------
Member List
Democrats
1. Max Baucus, MT
2. Byron Dorgan, ND
3. Maria Cantwell, WA
4. Blanche Lincoln, AR
5. Jeff Bingaman, NM
6. Chris Dodd, CT
Republicans
1. Michael Enzi, WY
2. Chuck Hagel, NE
3. Norm Coleman, MN
4. Jim Talent, MO
5. Pat Roberts, KS
6. Kit Bond, MO
The House Cuba Working Group
----------------------------
Member List
Democrats
1. Neil Abercombie (HI-01)
2. Tammy Baldwin (WI-02)
3. Howard Berman (CA-26)
4. Marion Berry (AR-01)
5. William Lacy Clay (MO-01)
6. Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
7. William Delahunt (MA-10)
8. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3)
9. Cal Dooley (CA-20)
10. Sam Farr (CA-17)
11. Nick Lampson (TX-09)
12. Stephen Lynch (MA-09)
13. Jim McGovern (MA-03)
14. Collin Peterson (MN-07)
15. Charlie Rangel (NY-15)
16. Mike Ross (AR-04)
17. Vic Snyder (AR-02)
18. Hilda Solis (CA-31)
19. Charlie Stenholm (TX-17)
20. John Tanner (TN-08)
21. Mike Thompson (CA-01)
22. Edolphus Towns (NY-10)
23. Chris Van Hollen (MD-8)
24. Mike Doyle (PA-14)
Republicans
1. John Boozman (AR-03)
2. Kevin Brady (TX-08)
3. Dave Camp (MI-04)
4. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08)
5. Jeff Flake (AZ-01)
6. Sam Graves (MO-06)
7. Wally Herger (CA-02)
8. Tim Johnson (IL-05)
9. Ray LaHood (IL-18)
10. Jim Leach (IA-01)
11. Jerry Moran (KS-01)
12. George Nethercutt (WA-05)
13. Tom Osborne (NE-03)
14. Butch Otter (ID-01)
15. Ron Paul (TX-14)
16. Jim Ramstad (MN-03)
17. Dennis Rehberg (MT-At Large)
18. Paul Ryan (WI-01)
19. Chris Shays (CT-04)
20. John Shimkus (IL-20)
21. Nick Smith (MI-07)
22. Pat Tiberi (OH-12)
23. Edward Whitfield (KY-1)
24. Jim Greenwood (PA-8)
Under this license, ordinary people from our country have been able to travel and exchange with their counterparts on the island. They have visited urban and rural communities,
museums and galleries of all varieties, schools from day care through the university level, polyclinics and hospitals, and developing architectural treasures from Old Havana to Trinidad to Camaguey to Santiago. They have traveled through the length and breadth of Cuba visiting with people from all walks of life, exchanging ideas and experiences, breaking through walls of prejudice and preconceptions nurtured through lack of contact. They have experienced the incredibly rich, intertwined cultural lives of both our countries grounded in our common multi-racial, multi-national heritage. They have found that we listen to the same music and watch and play the same sports. Lives have been enriched here and there. The world has been made a little better place. 75% of the American people as a whole and half of the Cuban-American community in Miami are opposed to any travel restrictions to Cuba. A majority in the House of Representatives voted last year to end enforcement of these restrictions. Ignoring the public and the Congress,OFAC has acted to end these educational exchanges, further restricting our freedom as Americans to travel.
In solidarity,
Thomas W. Warner (Secretary Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee)
8923 2nd Ave. N.E.
Seattle, WA, 98115
(206) 523-1720
warner@scn.org
http://www.seattlecuba.org
Dump Dirty Energy Bill
To take action on this issue, click this link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=14795
* Speak out on urgent issues, read and listen to thought-provoking columnists and radio commentary. Visit http://www.workingforchange.com
* Get a FREE pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream EACH MONTH for 1 YEAR when you sign up for Working Assets Long Distance.
Turn your everyday phone calls into donations for the non-profits you care about. It won't cost you extra, and may even cost you LESS!
Learn more:
http://www.workingassets.com/moreinfo
Rein in Corporate Tax Deserters
To take action on this issue, click this link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=14796
* Speak out on urgent issues, read and listen to thought-provoking columnists and radio commentary. Visit http://www.workingforchange.com
* Get a FREE pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream EACH MONTH for 1 YEAR when you sign up for Working Assets Long Distance.
Turn your everyday phone calls into donations for the non-profits you care about. It won't cost you extra, and may even cost you LESS!
Learn more:
http://www.workingassets.com/moreinfo
WHO: You and your friends
WHAT: DEA Hemp Taste Test, Round 2
WHERE: At your local DEA office or nearby location TBD
WHEN: Monday April 21
HOW: Contact Nadine Bloch ASAP by Thursday 4/10 for more
information and to sign up. Tel: 301-891-3680 or nbloch@igc.org
We provide FREE hemp foods for distribution at the event. See
press release below for more info.
*************************************
On March 21, 2003, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
announced its final rule on hemp food products. This rule purports to
ban the sale of all hemp food products on April 21, 2003. The DEA's
rule is currently being challenged by the hemp industry in the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals, and hopefully will be Stayed. Regardless,
the public, Congress and Courts need to hear from outraged citizens.
Say No to DEA Attempts to Ban Hemp Products
Nationwide Hemp Taste Test with the DEA - April 21, 2003 - 12 PM
Please join Vote Hemp, Hemp Industries Association, Organic Consumers
Association, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and other
organizations around the country when they visit their local DEA
outposts at noon on April 21, 2003 to challenge the DEA's final rule
on hemp food products.
At lunchtime, concerned citizens will set up tables with hemp
products and information near -not on- DEA property. The goal of the
Taste Test is to solicit participation of the DEA employees and pass
out educational materials about the benefits of hemp foods in a
non-confrontational way.
We will draw national media attention to the nutritional and other
positive values of hemp. While this will NOT be an opportunity to
discuss recreational or medicinal cannabis rights, it will provide a
forum to highlight the absurdity of the DEA prohibiting hemp foods.
David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has agreed to
make sure that people participating in DEA Hemp Taste Test will be
provided with the hemp products they need for the event.
Please contact Nadine Bloch via email at nbloch@igc.org or via phone
at 301-891-3680, if you are interested in organizing or participating
in this action in your local area. If you're unable to participate,
you can do your part by visiting http://www.VoteHemp.com and sending
a letter to Congress.
Thank you for joining the challenge to the DEA's absurd and
destructive policies.
** Background on the DEA Hemp Food Fight **
Because trace infinitesimal THC (the psychoactive ingredient in
marihuana) in hemp seed is non-psychoactive and insignificant, the
U.S. Congress exempted non-viable hemp seed and oil from control
under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (see 21 U.S.C. ß802(16)),
just as Congress exempted poppy seeds from the CSA, although they
contain trace opiates otherwise subject to control. Hemp seed has a
well-balanced protein content and the highest content of essential
fatty acids (EFAs) of any oil in nature: EFAs are the "good fats"
that, like vitamins, the body does not produce and requires for good
health. Dr. Udo Erasmus, an internationally recognized nutritional
authority on fats and oils, writes in Fats that Heal - Fats that
Kill: "Hemp seed oil may be nature's most perfectly balanced oil."
Not surprisingly, shelled hemp seed and oil are increasingly used in
natural food products, such as corn chips, frozen waffles, nutrition
bars, hummus, nondairy milks, breads and cereals. In the last few
years, the hemp foods industry has grown from less than $1 million a
year to over $6 million in annual retail sales.
The DEA's previous attempts to ban hemp foods prompted a major public
outcry. Over 115,000 public comments were submitted to the DEA
against their new rules. On December 4, 2001, Vote Hemp, working
with students, nutritionists, and hemp manufacturers, organized the
first ever "DEA Taste Tests" at DEA offices and natural food stores
in 76 cities around the country in order to educate the public. In
2002, 25 members of Congress wrote the DEA telling the agency that
their "Interpretive Rule" that attempts to ban edible hemp seed or
oil products containing "any THC" is "overly restrictive."
North American hemp food companies voluntarily observe reasonable THC
limits similar to those adopted by European nations as well as Canada
and Australia. These limits protect consumers with a wide margin of
safety from any psychoactive effects or workplace drug-testing
interference [see hemp industry standards regarding trace THC at
http://www.testpledge.com]. The DEA has hypocritically not targeted
food manufacturers for using poppy seeds [in bagels and muffins, for
example] even though they contain far higher levels of trace opiates.
The recently-revived global hemp market is a thriving commercials
success. Unfortunately, because the DEA's Drug War paranoia has
confused non-psychoactive industrial hemp varieties of cannabis with
psychoactive "marihuana" varieties, the U.S. is the only major
industrialized nation to prohibit the growing of industrial hemp.
I thought you might be interested in this Ocean Action
Network e-activism campaign. If you go to the URL below
you can check out what is at stake and send your own
message directly to the relevant decision makers. Take
action on this action alert from Ocean Action Network
at
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/NS1?rk=NpzQ2461EPF4W
Your Help Needed to Stop Fish Conservation Rollback
Our marine ecosystems depend on healthy fish populations. Yet many of these ecosystems have been degraded by decades of overfishing that have dangerously depleted many of our fish populations. Congress provided a tool to fix this problem with the passage of the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996. But the implementation of the law has been weak, and persistent overfishing continues to threaten ocean health. Now the federal agency that has allowed this overfishing to continue, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), is rewriting and likely weakening the guidelines that are supposed to implement the ban on overfishing contained in the Sustainable Fisheries Act. Please respond to this alert and tell NMFS that it needs to be a responsible manager of our living marine resources and put an end to overfishing. Let it know it must not weaken guidelines intended to stop overfishing but instead make these regulations stronger and more effective.
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2003 7:37 PM
Subject: [Womens-caucus] Action Alert: Cheney profits from war
A few paragraphs well worth reading so you can call your Congressional representative and demand an investigation into conflict of interest. Basically Cheny is getting a million a year from Halliburton to steer "defense" contracts, including putting out the oil field fires during the Iraq War, to Halliburton and its subsidiaries. You can use your 800 number to call. This info is very credible from Nader's organization. 800 number to Capitol switchboard is 1-800-839-5276.
http://www.citizenworks.org/corp/halliburton.php
