Other Sources (Scroll down for my current postings.)

• Common Dreams News Center (Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community)
• Cursor.org
• Democracy Now!
• Pacifica Radio
• FAIR,the national media watch group
• MotherJones magazine online
• From the Wilderness Publications (News & Views from the left)
• InformationTimes.com (America's Daily International Newspaper)
• TomPaine.commonsense(mostly commentary)
• T R U T H O U T  (news, politics)
• CounterPunch("the stories that the corporate press never prints")
• Al-Jazeerah in English
• Howard Zinn (commentary)
• What Really Happened ("The history the goverment hopes you don't learn." A great source for news, updated frequently.)
• INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE ("News you won't find on CNN or Fox.")
• Keystone Report (The real alternative news source for the people of Pennsylvania)
• AlterNet.org
• "BuzzFlash provides headlines, news, and commentary for a geographically-diverse, politically-savvy, pro-democracy, anti-hypocrisy web audience, reaching a million visitors a month and growing."
• Spin of the Day ("Daily reporting on public relations, propaganda and media spin.")

May 7

Behind again, sorry!
Kids are still in baseball season! :-)
       --Kayly

Quotes
• The work of the political activist inevitably involves a certain tension between the requirement that positions be taken on current issues as they arise and the desire that one’s contributions will somehow survive the ravages of time.

--Angela Davis
• My function in life is not to be a politician in Parliament: it is to get something done.--Bernadette Devlin
• Don’t agonize. Organize.--Florynce R. Kennedy
• History is a relay of revolutions.--Saul Alinsky
• You can cage the singer but not the song.--Harry Belafonte
News(Highlighted article/s of the week at top, in pink)
 
• Fuel Economy Hit 22-Year Low

By DANNY HAKIM
DETROIT, May 2  The average fuel economy of the nation's cars and trucks fell to its lowest level in 22 years in the 2002 model year, the Environmental Protection Agency reported today.
• Bush Under Fire for Carrier Landing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday rejected criticism by Democrats that his jet landing on an aircraft carrier last week was a costly political stunt.
• Powell Warns U.S. Will Be 'Watching' Syria

Sun May 4,12:14 PM ET
By Joanne Kenen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Back from a Middle East trip, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Syria on Sunday that the United States would closely watch for policy and behavior changes that reflect Syrian cooperation in a changing regional landscape.
• Many States Cutting Back on Child Care

By LAURA MECKLER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Nearly half the states have reduced access to government-subsidized child care for low-income families over the last two years, congressional auditors reported Monday.
• Many Women Still Working In 'Pink-Collar' Jobs

POSTED: 10:08 a.m. EDT May 5, 2003
Women are more likely to work in professional careers today than 20 years ago, but they're still largely confined to traditional "pink-collar" jobs, according to a study by the American Association of University Women.
• No Challenger Yet for Calif. Sen. Boxer

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - California Republicans say they can't wait to take on two-term Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in next year's election, but 18 months before Election Day  and 10 months before the GOP primary all they've done is talk.
• 'We thought (war) was all over'

Mon May 5, 7:18 AM ET
Valerie Alvord and Debbie Howlett USA TODAY
Casualties in the waning days of the Iraq war include a soldier who used to in-line skate through the halls in high school, a hometown hero and a former drill instructor.
• Network Scraps Presidential Candidate Reality Show

FX Says Show Too Expensive To Produce
POSTED: 9:29 a.m. EDT May 6, 2003
FX has learned what politicos have known for years -- it takes a huge amount of money to run for president.
• Philly Nude Models May Wear Union Label

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA - Complaining of low pay, cold rooms and air laden with paint fumes and charcoal dust, models who pose nude at a Philadelphia art school voted Wednesday to join a union.
• Conn. Supreme Court: Fetus Is Body Part

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
HARTFORD, Conn. - Angering both sides of the abortion debate, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a fetus is a body part, akin to teeth, skin and hair that are eventually shed.
• E.P.A. Drops Age-Based Cost Studies

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE and JOHN TIERNEY
BALTIMORE, May 7 A Bush administration policy to base some regulations on a calculation that the life of each person older than 70 should be valued less than the life of a younger person has antagonized older Americans and environmental groups, and it has stirred tensions among federal agencies.

 
 
Events(Newest events are in red.)
 
• Vigil Fridays, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. York Square Contact: Leada, alt-leadadietz@blazenet.net
• 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

PENN SQUARE (Lancaster) SATURDAY 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!
• First Sunday every month: Dauphin County Green Party Meeting, 2-4 p.m. in Room B of the East Shore Area Library.

Contact Kayly Newcomer for information 717-213-3767
• Peace vigil, 1st Monday of the month, (unless the Monday is a state holiday, then the vigil will be on 1st Tuesday)

Noon-1 p.m.  3rd & Walnut, across from the Federal Bldg., Harrisburg; third Monday of the month the same group will meet at the Capitol dining cafeteria-at the table under the Palm Trees area, to  discuss  plans. However for this month of May, anyone interested in helping to plan will meet, next Monday, May12,  at the Capitol cafeteria at 12 noon (no peace vigil)
• Tuesdays 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Women in Black Harrisburg

Silent vigil at County courthouse steps
• 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

Every Wednesday at the square from 12noon to 1pm and 5:30 to 6pm. Please bring signs.
• Peace Prayer Vigil Wednesdays Time: 5:15 pm

Location: St. Stephens Episcopal Cathedral
Street: 221 North Front Street Harrisburg, PA
• Lancaster Women in Black Vigil Wednesdays Time: 5:30pm-6:00 pm

Location: Steps of the Lancaster County Court House
All women and men of peace welcome to join.
Contact: Mary, Dmlev3@aol.com
• Worship in the Quaker style focus on Peace Wednesdays

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
• Friday, May 9, 8:00 pm MAKING JUSTICE REAL

Unitarian Church of Harrisburg Patrice Gaines, former Washington Post reporter and author of Laughing In the Dark, From Colored Girl to Woman of Color, and A Journey from Prison to Power, will speak on restorative justice.
• Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10

Peace Weekend
Sponsored by Spirithouse.
Contact: Ruby Sales, 202-549-7640
• Saturday, May 10 Time: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m

Friends House, 252 A Street, Carlisle, PA
717-245-2887 or 717-264-5036
Workshop topics include:
      .The Worldwide Wealth Gap
      .Natural Resource Wars & US Foreign Policy
      .Early Christian Teachings on Economic Justice
      .Clarifying an Economics of Peace
      .Earth Rights Democracy -Local to Global
      .Green Taxes for a Fair Economy
      .Building Earth Rights Democracy Movements
      We will interweave selected video segments, short lectures, group discussion, overhead projector charts and experiential exercises.
      Workshop leader: Alanna Hartzok is Co-Director of Earth Rights Institute, a civil society organization working for economic justice and peaceful resolution of conflicts. She is an activist with the Carlisle Peace College and a United Nations NGO Representative for an international organization based in London. Her 2001 E.F. Schumacher Lecture was published as Democracy,. Earth Rights and the Next Econon'1'j. That same year she was the Green Party candidate for Congress in the Ninth District of Pennsylvania. Alanna is currently working on initiatives in Philadelphia and Nigeria. Several of her published articles can be found at www.earthrights.net.
• Saturday, May 10th:  MORATORIUM COMMITTEE OF PAUADP MEETING; SUSQUEHANNA ART MUSEUM, HARRISBURG- 1PM-5PM- The moratorium committee will meet on this day to discuss further strategy on pressuring Governor Rendell to impose a moratorium and on pressuring the legislature, as well.  The SAM is at the corner of 3rd and Walnut Streets in Harrisburg.
• PROTEST CORPORATE MEDIA

MARCH TO NBC, ABC, & CLEARCHANNEL RADIO!
Saturday, May 10th, Noon
Gather at St. Joseph's Field, 54 th St. & Cityline Avenue, Philadelphia
Join us in the streets of Philadelphia on May 10th to say:
NO TO ENDLESS WAR!
NO TO MEDIA MONOPOLY!
HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST!
STOP WARMONGERING, WAR PROFITEERING AND CENSORSHIP!
THE MEDIA HAS BEEN PAINTING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S WAR ON IRAQ AS A VIDEO GAME.  As reported on April 5, 2003 in the Toronto Star, 92% of news stories airing on NBC, ABC and CNS iriginated directly from the White house, Pentagon or State Department, between Sept. 14, 2002 and Feb 7, 2003.  No wonder the media whitewashed the gruesome realities of the war,
ignoring the deaths of thousands of civilians. They continue to promote US attempts to install a puppet regime in Iraq, and ignore the growing resistance of the Iraqi people.
CORPORATE MEDIA IS PROMOTING U.S. POLICIES IN IRAQ.  These same media conglomerates will profit from multi-million dollar telecommunications and reconstruction contracts.  Bechtel, Cheney's Haliburton, and a host of others are reaping the spoils of war in contracts for oil production, transportation, and everything from health care to media systems. THE MEDIA HAS WHITEWASHED THE GRUESOME DEATHS of thousands of civilians,
and the destruction of a country already devastated by 12 years of sanctions.  We hear little about Iraq's hospitals, packed with children dying from water-borne diseases such as malaria and typhus.  We were not told that due to the U.S. bombing of the water supplies, people are forced to drink from rivers and other unsafe sources. The corporate media even silenced investigation of US military strikes against non-embedded reporters, including the bombing of the Al-Jazeera Baghdad office that killed a key correspondent and the shelling of the
Palestine Hotel that killed British and Spanish journalists.
To make matters worse, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), chaired by Michael Powell, son of Colin Powell, is on the verge of eliminating the last regulations against media consolidation that currently prevent one giant company from owning all the media in the USA.
WHAT WILL MEDIA CONSOLIDATION MEAN FOR US ALL?
-- More blatant conflicts of interest, as in the case of NBC, which is owned by weapons manufacturer General Electric (GE).
-- More war cheerleading, as in the case of Clearchannel Radio, which snapped up 1200 radio stations after radio deregulation in 1996, and has been banning antiwar songs and organizing prowar rallies.
-- More misinformation, which means no stories about the ongoing
humanitarian crisis in Iraq the crisis here at home, or the fight-back movement.
For more information, contact the Prometheus Radio Project: 215-727-9620, or maytenth@prometheusradio.org!  Transportation/tokens will be available!
PLEASE HELP!  PLEASE COME!
Mass Transit Directions to St. Joseph's Field From Center City via SEPTA: Take the #44 Bus from Market St., between 5 th through 13 th; or take the R5 train to Overbrook, then the #65 Bus.
• Next People for Peace meeting:

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, 925 South George St., York PA, in the Carriage House
Monday, May 12, 6:30-8:30 pm
6:30-7:  brief business meeting
7-8:30:  Guest speaker, Chuck Michaels, who has written an important book on the USA Patriot Act called No Greater Threat.  He will go over the key elements of the USA PATRIOT Act and then review briefly his 12 characteristics of a national security state, followed by a discussion period. For more information about Chuck and his book, visit www.nogreaterthreat.com
• May 17th Community Peace & Non-violence Gathering at Roberto Clemente Park, s. Duke St., Lancaster, Pa. 2pm - 6pm.  In the spirit of Gandhi & Martic Luther King Jr. this will be a community education and exploration gathering of what peace means to us and to our community.  Participation of community groups is encouraged as well as participation with speaking, singing,  dancing or tabling informaiton with the message of community peace & nonviolence. This will also be a covered dish event and you are welcomed to bring food.  Please contact Mary Ries 295-0239 buddahchild104@yahoo.com for more information and for tabling, speaking, or other participation.
• NATIONAL CONFERENCE

AGAINST WAR, COLONIAL OCCUPATION
& IMPERIALISM
MAY 17-18
New York City
Activists and organizers will be traveling from across the
East Coast, Midwest, South and West Coast to attend the
May 17-18 National Conference Against War, Colonial
Occupation & Imperialism. (The date has been changed from
what was announced at the April 12 demonstration -- please
note new date.) This is an extremely important meeting for organizers and activists. It will include analysis, assessment,
evaluation and strategizing, both in workshops and in full
plenary sessions. This will be the first opportunity for
the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and its affiliate organizers to
meet since our conference that was held in New York City a
year ago (June 1, 2002). Activists and organizers with the
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition have been at the forefront of the
struggle against the Bush administration's ultra-militaristic foreign policy as well as its assault on civil rights and civil liberties at home.The invasion and occupation of Iraq has created a U.S. military dictatorship in a country that possesses 10 percent of the world's oil supply. This occupation is
meeting widespread resistance throughout Iraq. A.N.S.W.E.R. and others around the country and the world have been at the center of a new worldwide movement against endless war and imperialist conquest. This global movement showed its power even after the seizure of Baghdad when demonstrations took place on April 12 in over 60 countries in response to a call issued by A.N.S.W.E.R.
and other international coalitions. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are aggressively pursuing a design for World Empire. We believe they will fail not because some other force possesses superior military power to stop them, but instead because of the worldwide resistance that will intensify in the months and years to come. The purpose of the upcoming May 17-18 conference is to
provide the evaluation, analysis, political program and
action plan for this coming struggle.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
AGAINST WAR, COLONIAL OCCUPATION
& IMPERIALISM
MAY 17-18
New York City
Where is Bush going? What's next for our movement?
Join anti-war organizers and activists from around the
country for
- Strategy
- Analysis
- Evaluation and Assessment
- Plenaries and Workshops
Including:
- U.S. plans for war and occupation: Iraq, Syria, Iran,
Lebanon, Palestine
- The U.S. and Iraq in Historical Perspective
- The U.S., Israel and the Palestinian National Liberation Movement
- "National Security Strategy of the USA:" Blueprint for
Global Domination
- Fighting for national liberation and the right to
sovereignty from the Philippines to Zimbabwe to Colombia
- Why working people of all nationalities -- in the U.S.
and around the world -- have nothing to gain from Bush's
war for Empire
Organizers and activists will travel to New York City from
across the East Coast, South, Midwest and West Coast to
attend the National Conference. If you are planning to
organize transportation, please fill out the form at
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m3/index.html#transp
A list of cities organizing transportation will be
available soon. A flyer (half sheet, available in English and Spanish) for the conference is available at:
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/resources/index.html
Updated flyers will be available soon.
---------------------
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.InternationalANSWER.org
info@internationalanswer.org
New York 212-633-6646
Washington 202-544-3389
Los Angeles 213-487-2368
San Francisco 415-821-6545
To make a tax-deductible donation, go to
http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html
• All are invited to a forum on Sunday, May 18 from 10:10 to 10:50 AM.  Mona Lee and Dick Burkhart will discuss the Earth Charter and Deep Democracy, new forms of global participation, deliberation and cooperation.  This retired Unitarian Universalist couple from Seattle, Washington, will be in Lancaster for the weekend as part of their "Bike for Global Democracy".  They are on the first leg of a round the world tandem bike tour to demonstrate their commitment to a more livable and sustainable world. This forum will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster, 538 West Chestnut Street.  It will be held between church services in the Sanctuary.
• Wednesday, May 21, 3:00 pm PEACE GROUP MEETING

Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, 777 S. Mount Joy St., Elizabethtown We share current information, challenges, prayer, events to participate in, and group discussion. Anyone is welcome who desires to have a place for ongoing conversation to alternatives and solutions to war. Contact: Pip, Associate for Group Ministries, 367-1000, pippinl@etown.edu
• Thursday, May 22, 6:00 pm

3RD ANNUAL WORLD PEACE CONFERENCE
Penn State York Campus
Hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Pennsylvania
Representatives from Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism will speak on Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship.
Contact: The Noor Mosque at 717-843-3162 or email noor1@blazenet.net.
• Peace, War & Natural Resource Rights

A Multimedia Workshop
Saturday, May 24 10:00 am ? 4:00 pm
Wilkes University
The Marts Center, Room 203, Wilkes-Barre
(between South Franklin & Ross Streets)
The fee of $25 ($15 students) will raise funds for the sponsor:
Luzerne County Green Party
To Register call Shane Novak 570-823-8833 or email
Luzernegreens@hotmail.com
Workshop topics include:
The Worldwide Wealth Gap
Natural Resource Wars & US Foreign Policy
Demilitarization
Green Values Grow Green Societies
Clarifying an Economics of Peace
Earth Rights Democracy: Local to Global
Green Taxes for a Fair Economy
Building earth Rights Democracy Movements
Workshop Leaders
Alanna Hartzok: Co-Director of Earth Rights Institute
Annie Goeke founder of local chapter of Women in Black
More information: www.earthrights.net
• Tuesday, May 27, 12:00-1:00 pm

COMMONWEALTH COURT JUDGE HANNAH LEAVITT
Penn State Downtown Center, Harrisburg
Sponsored by the Women's Legislative Exchange
Hannah Leavitt will speak on campaigning, women candidates, and the new rule permitting judicial candidates to give their views on issues.
• Tuesday, May 27, 7:00 pm

PAX CHRISTI meeting 3rd floor Conference Room, Cardinal Keeler Center, 4800 Union Deposit Rd., Harrisburg All interested people invited. Contact: 737-7211
• Friday-Saturday, May 30-31, 7:00 pm

SisterArt will present WOMEN OF STRENGTH
Open Stage Harrisburg, 223 Walnut Street, Harrisburg
An original tribute to the survival and richness of the spirit of black women. Told through the lives and experiences of 15 African American women, Women of Strength weaves poetry, monologue, music and dance as it celebrates the resilience of women who rose above their circumstances. Tickets will be available May 1, 2003. Admission is a suggested $10 donation.
• May 31: A United for Peace & Justice National Teach-in on Iraq, Preemptive War and Democracy Join United for Peace and Justice for a national day of education and action on Saturday, May 31 in Washington, DC. Events in the world and the nation are unfolding quickly and people from all walks of life are asking questions, looking for reliable information. Now is the time to speak boldly and honestly about the alternatives we face as a country. As millions of peace and justice activists around the globe tried to prevent the United States from launching an attack on Iraq, a new movement was born. While the Bush Administration and mainstream U.S. media declare the war on Iraq a "success," we know that an unprovoked attack remains just as wrong after the bombing has stopped as it was before the war started. We must speak out loudly and clearly to demand that the U.S. government account for the thousands of civilian deaths that were inflicted by our bombs. We oppose any U.S. military occupation of Iraq, and especially one in which corporations with close ties to the Bush Administration will reap huge profits from the post-war, post-sanctions reconstruction. We say "no!" to a huge and growing $400 billion military budget while veterans' benefits are being slashed, public schools are crumbling and millions go without healthcare. We must articulate our vision for achieving a better society and world through international cooperation and peaceful means.

TAKE ACTION
Now is the time to nurture the movement, to help us grow into the next phases of our work. On May 31, United for Peace and Justice will hold a mass teach-in on the Iraq crisis in Washington, DC. We invite people from throughout the region to join us to learn about and discuss issues in three major areas:
?The domestic consequences of occupation and empire-building: attacks on people from the Middle East and other immigrants, erosion of basic Constitutional rights and civil liberties, the need to stand up to a climate of fear and intimidation, the implications of ignoring huge state and local budget deficits all over the country, opposing cutbacks in needed social programs, a positive economic program to get us out of recession.
?A U.S. occupation of Iraq: the "second invasion" by profit-seeking U.S. corporations, what occupation will mean for the Iraqi people, how it will be seen by the rest of the world, the role of the United Nations, and what real liberation and democracy would look like.
?The ongoing drive for empire and a militarized foreign policy: the new U.S. doctrine of "preemptive war," who is next: Syria, Iran, North Korea, Cuba?, the need for a rapid shift to clean, renewable energy sources rather than greater dependence on polluting oil, an alternative foreign policy based on international law, cooperation and economic and social justice.
Teach-in speakers and other information will be available soon at on this website. We are working on plans to broadcast the event on television, radio and the Internet.
This teach-in will be a springboard for ongoing grassroots organizing and educational work continuing throughout the summer all over the country. We must deepen and broaden our movement, talking with our neighbors, co-workers and fellow students about the urgent need for a peace and justice alternative and how they can help to build it. Even if you cannot make the trip to Washington, DC, you can participate in this national day of action in one of the following ways:
?Sponsor a viewing party so that people in your community can watch and participate in the teach-in from wherever you are.
?Organize your own teach-in with speakers from your community.
?Hold another type of peace and justice event that will educate members of your community about the future of Iraq and why we must continue to push for alternatives to war-a peace rally, community meeting, vigil, outreach day, nonviolent civil disobedience, or whatever activity makes sense to you.
Please list your events on this site so we can publicize nationwide local events and the teach-in as a unified national day of action and education. For more information, call the UFPJ office at 212-603-3700.
• June 6-8, Chicago

On June 6-8, United for Peace and Justice will hold a National Conference in Chicago. Representatives of local and national peace and justice groups from across the U.S. will come together to assess the new challenges and opportunities we face in stopping the Bush administration's program of permanent war. It is time to develop plans for coordinated action over the next 6-12 months. We invite all organizations affiliated with or interested in joining UFPJ to send a representative to participate in this important meeting. FOR MORE INFORMATION:
United for Peace and Justice
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
To become a member group of UFPJ:
United for Peace & Justice welcomes the participation of any and all national, regional and local groups who share our goals and wish to work with others. Email andrea@globalexchange.org
• Please plan to attend a town hall meeting on how federal issues affect GLBT relationships

You are invited to attend a town hall meeting to discuss how federal legislation and tax codes deny the fiscal realities of same-sex couples -- the "kitchen table" issues that affect our lives.
When: Saturday, June 7, 2:00pm - 4:00pm.
Where: First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Why: The U.S. Census 2000 showed that almost 600,000 same-sex couples exist today in America, many with children. Because the legal definition of "spouse" doesn’t cover same-sex partners, GLBT families experience costly tax burdens, higher costs for health insurance for partners than spouses, and denial of critical Social Security benefits, among other things.
For more information on the rights and protections denied same-sex couples, visit HRC FamilyNet.
• Delegates and all,

As of today, we have a signed contract with the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, 1127 Connecticut Ave, for our conference in July (18-21). The Steering Committee make a serious attempt to schedule the event at Howard University for a number of reasons, including that it is significantly less expensive, but in the end, their bureaucracy and approval process were far too cumbersome. We have been attempting to put together an agreement with them since last December, and we still were not that close. With barely more than two months to go, we really had to get a contract and start our preparations. We should have our web page up soon for this event with as many details as we know. It should be possible to make reservations at the hotel ($124/night plus tax, so about $142) in a day or two. I will post details to this list about that. Other less expensive sleeping options will be made as well, and we will let you know about those as we get them set up. Registration for the conference will be separate from any hotel reservations, and we will post that as soon as we have it as well, but it will take a little longer.
Dean Myerson
GP Political Coordinator
Articles(new ones in red)
• Senator Rick Santorum Is A Great Christian Patriot!

A satire
• Fifty-Five Ways for Board Members to Raise $500

The Board of Directors Grassroots Fundraising Journal Reprint Collection by Stephanie Roth and Kim Klein
• Flash animation comparing Hitler & W.

Funny, scary & sad.
• A Historical Look at African Americans in Politics

by Charles Brooks, Political Writer
Part 1
Part 2
• Bush's Resume

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Emails (Forwards/Actions)
• Dear PennPIRG supporter,

Instead of being sober events where delegates discuss the party platform and select nominees, the Democratic and Republican presidential nominating conventions have become obscene spectacles where delegates are wined and dined by special interests hoping to influence policy.  The Federal Election Commission has requested public comments on this issue, and we're asking them to take the special interest money out of party conventions.
Please take a moment to ask the Federal Election Commission to uphold the law and take special interest money out of party conventions.
To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=77&id4=ES
The 1974 Federal Elections Campaign Act provided full public funding for party conventions in order to prevent corporations from currying favor with parties.  As recently as 1988, the parties paid for their national nominating conventions exclusively with these public funds.
However, throughout the 1990s, corporations and other special interests sought creative ways to fund conventions.  Through "host committees," these special interests found a way to get around the rule prohibiting parties to spend more on conventions than their public funding allotment.  The host committee for the Democrats' 2004 convention in Boston has already raised more than $20 million in pledges from 60 major donors - which is more than the entire public funding entitlement.  This includes $1 million checks from 7 corporations, including GM, Microsoft and AT&T.  These companies, as well as Enron, Global Crossing and Tyco all coughed up big money for the 2000 Republican convention in Philadelphia as well.
Sincerely,
Beth McConnell
PennPIRG State Director
BMcConnell@PennPIRG.org
http://www.PennPIRG.org
• During the next couple of weeks, the Senate will be considering whether or not to include the Clean School Buses Grant Program in the Senate energy bill when the energy bill moves to the Senate floor. The Senate missed an opportunity to include this bill in the Energy and Natural Resources committee a few weeks ago, so it is important to urge your senators to support this bill on the Senate floor. This

grant program would replace the oldest, dirtiest school buses on the road--those built before 1991--with cleaner alternatives such as natural gas and low-sulfur diesel. Please contact your senators and urge them to stand up for our children's health and support this grant program.
TAKE ACTION
* See below for more background on this issue.
* To customize the letter, visit:
http://www.ucsaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=2663
**************
Background:
Of the over 450,000 school buses on the road today, about one-third
are aging diesel vehicles built to outmoded health and safety
standards.  These buses, built before 1991, are not compatible with
emission control technologies designed to clean up tailpipe emissions
and should be replaced.
Diesel pollution has been linked to increased asthma rates, missed
school days, hospitalizations, chronic bronchitis, heart disease,
cancer, and even premature death. There are clean and cost-effective
alternatives to standard diesel-powered school buses. Natural gas is
a clean, safe choice, reducing toxic soot over 90 percent compared to
older diesel buses. Though not as clean as natural gas, diesel
technologies are evolving and becoming cleaner. New low-emission
diesel buses are available in some areas of the country and, when
working properly, can reduce emissions by 85 percent or more.
The Clean School Buses Act (H.R. 1461) was recently introduced in the
House of Representatives. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) is considering
introducing companion legislation on the Senate floor within the next
couple of weeks. Similar legislation passed the House and Senate last
year, but died as part of overall energy legislation. The Clean
School Buses Grant Program would provide matching grants for school
districts to replace the oldest and dirtiest diesel school buses with
ones that run on cleaner alternatives such as natural gas and low-
sulfur diesel fuels. The monies would go towards the cost of the bus
and the associated infrastructure needed to fuel the bus.
For more information you can read the executive summary of our school
bus report, Pollution Report Card, at
http://www.ucsusa.org/publication.cfm?publicationID=417
If you have any questions on this alert,
contact Rebecca Sayre at rsayre@ucsusa.org
• FUNDRAISING RESOURCE FOR PEACE GROUPS

The US edition of the PEACE NOT WAR compilation CD will be released
May 12th, bringing inspiration to peace-loving Americans in the form
of 32 anti-war songs. You can hear all the songs free on the website
http://www.peace-not-war.org
The 2xCD compilation has already become the soundtrack to the peace
movement in Europe and Australia, raising over $30,000 for UK peace
groups in the process. Now  PEACE NOT WAR will be booming from
American speakers with rap, rock, folk and dance music - all making
noise for an end to war and funding the growth of the peace movement
at the same time.
The CDs are being sold by American peace groups, as has been
happening in the UK. Peace groups across the US can buy the CDs for
discounted wholesale price - $5 - and sell them for $15 to raise
funds. They come in boxes of 25 double-albums for $125 (incl
shipping), which can be sold for $375. If you want to support a
chosen peace group, you can donate them a box of CDs, and they will
triple the value of your donation. Orders can be taken now from
Mordam Records, California. (Peace groups must also register for the
Peace Group Search Engine on the above website
http://www.peace-not-war.org )
MORDAM RECORDS
phone: (916) 641-8900 X207
sales@mordamrecords.com
731 R N. Market Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95384
The CDs will also be widely available in music stores, with proceeds
to US peace groups, and can be ordered everywhere now (ask for
PNW1CD, distributed by Mordam).
CD1:
Ani DiFranco - 'Self Evident'
Sleater-Kinney - 'Combat Rock'
Public Enemy - 'Son of a Bush'
Billy Bragg - 'The Price of Oil'
Midnight Oil - 'US Forces'
Chumbawamba - 'Jacobs Ladder (Not in my Name)'
DJ DisOrientalist - 'Occident and Emergency'
Tariq Ali (Asian Dub Foundation remix) - 'Not in Our Name'
Life - 'Bush and Blair'
Seize the Day - 'United States'
Crass (with EP Thomson) - 'The Unelected President'
Change - 'Ceasefire'
The Unpeople (with John Pilger) - 'The Unpeople'
Slovo - '21 Today'
Yo La Tengo - 'Nuclear War'
CD2:
Ms Dynamite - 'Watch Over Them'
Roots Manuva - 'Juggle Tings Proper'
Alabama 3 - 'Flag' (Half Mast mix)
The Mark of Cain - 'Lone Pine'
John Lester - 'Out of the Clear Blue Sky'
GM Babyz - 'Pain of Life'
Torben and Joe (with Ken Livingstone) - 'Money is Your Blood'
Nitin Sawhney - 'Cold and Intimate'
Fun<da>mental - 'Rape (Tactic of War)'
SuparNovar - 'When R They Gonna C?'
Laszlo Beckett - 'What to do?'
Pok and the Spacegoats - 'Voices of a Future'
Stephan Smith (with Pete Seeger and DJ Spooky) - 'The Bell' (Paranoia
Network Mix)
Saul Williams (Coldcut remix) - 'Not in my Name - Pledge of Resistance'
Sia - 'Fear'
Massive Attack - 'Hymn of the Big Wheel'
Bindi Blacher - 'Down'
This music has been produced to give rythym, information and
inspiration to everyone struggling for peace - keep on moving!
--
Peace Not War Compilation CD
http://www.peace-not-war.org
info@peace-not-war.org

 
Photos
 

The United States is ready to sacrifice the free flow of trade with Canada if necessary to respond to a planned Canadian decriminalization of marijuana, a U.S. official warned on Friday. The Canadian government plans to introduce legislation by the middle of next month to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana. Photo by Reuters REUTERS/Andy Clark

Sailor Angel Akan, left, kisses his wife Mindy, while they hold Angel Jr., four months, upon his return to San Diego at the homecoming of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln Friday May 2, 2003 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

In this Wednesday April 30, 2003 handout photo from Greenpeace, U.S. President George W. Bush appears as the ace of spades in a the deck of cards issued by anti-nuclear campaigners who have created their own most wanted list. The Greenpeace deck is meant to focus attention on the dangers posed by nuclear arsenals and 600 decks are being handed out to delegates at a two-week meeting on the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Greenpeace, HO)


 
 
 


 
 
 

























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