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Tag Archives: democrats
GreenPeace September newsletter
 monthly newsletter, September Action needed to help save sea lions! You can help protect the world’s largest sea lion, the Steller sea lion of the North Pacific, by telling the National Marine Fisheries Service to adopt the protective measures they have identified as needed for the species to survive. After years of delays and undue industry influence, NMFS released a Draft Biological Opinion (BiOP) on Steller sea lions on August 2nd. This new BiOp finds that commercial fishing is the most likely cause of sea lion declines in the western Aleutian Islands and their failure to recover in other areas. Fishing fleets are catching too much of the fish Steller sea lions need to eat for their survival. Take action and let the agency know you support their own conclusions and urge them to move forward and give Steller sea lions the protection they need. Be the Change!
For more information, to share this with your favorite students, or to apply TODAY for our Spring 2011 semester in San Francisco, check out the application page or email us at: got@wdc.greenpeace.org. The Spring 2011 deadline is October 15th, so apply or forward this to a student you know today! |
10.10.10
Greenpeace is teaming up with 350.org, 10:10, and a global coalition of folks doing something about climate change to create a global day of action: the 10/10/10 Work Party. Help us make October 10th the biggest single day of action against global warming that the world has ever seen by signing up today! Over 1,000 Work Parties are already planned. Find one in your area and RSVP today or add an event of your own. Don’t wait. Ship Expedition
We’re nearly a month into our Gulf Oil Spill Impacts Expedition. See where we’ve been and follow along as we continue to support independent research into the effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. |
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A Milestone On The Road Out of Iraq
Yesterday evening, speaking to the nation from the Oval Office, President Obama “declared an end to the seven-year American combat mission in Iraq,” saying that “the United States has met its responsibility to that country and that it is now time to turn to pressing problems at home.” While around 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, and will still engage in combat while carrying out what is now primarily a training and advising mission, yesterday’s announcement by the President represents the fulfillment of a promise he made in February 2009, to have the majority of U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of August 2010. The President noted that, over the last decade in Afghanistan and Iraq, “we have spent over a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas,” and that “as we wind down the war in Iraq, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy and grit and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad.” Describing the new Iraq mission, Vice President Biden said, “We have a written agreement with the Iraqi government, signed by George W. Bush, binding President Barack Obama to withdraw all troops by the end of next year. … But we have faith that the Iraqi troops who our sacrifices have allowed to be trained are in fact ready and will be increasingly able to supply total security to this country by the end of next year.” Biden adviser Tony Blinken told reporters, “We’re not disengaging from Iraq, and even as we draw down our troops, we are ramping up our engagement across the board.”
DEFINING THE WAR’S LEGACY: President Bush’s decision to invade and occupy Iraq remains controversial, though it’s now obvious that the main justifications for the war — Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction and a substantive relationship between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda — were false. Several key decisions the Bush administration made, such as disbanding the Iraq army and the de-Baathification of Iraq’s bureaucracy, fed a growing insurgency that was gathering steam even as President Bush prematurely declared in May 2003 that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.” The ensuing insurgency led to years of sectarian strife and the near-collapse of the Iraqi state. With the U.S.’s attention and resources focused on dealing with the Iraq insurgency, Iran was able to extend its influence both with Shia parties in Iraq and throughout the region, the Taliban was able to retrench in Afghanistan, and anti-American extremists throughout the Middle East drew strength from the constant images of death and destruction beamed out of Iraq via satellite. Many of these radicals gained expertise from tactics honed against American forces in Iraq.
COUNTING THE COST: While the ultimate legacy of the U.S. intervention in Iraq is still to be determined, it is possible — and necessary, given the implications for future interventions — to attempt to tally the war’s costs and benefits to the national security of the United States. In May 2010, Center for American Progress analysts Matt Duss, Brian Katulis, and Peter Juul quantified the costs in their report, The Iraq War Ledger. While recognizing that the end of Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime represents a considerable global good, the authors note that most of the war’s other benefits very much remain in the realm of conjecture. A nascent democratic Iraqi republic allied with the United States could potentially yield benefits in the future, but the war’s costs are very real in the here and now, with the current cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom hovering around $748.2 billion, and the projected total cost of veterans’ health care and disability at $422 billion to $717 billion. As of yesterday, 4,416 American troops had lost their lives in Iraq, with more than 30,000 wounded and more than 39,000 diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Low-end estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths are around 100,000, with many more wounded, and over 4 million displaced both within and outside Iraq.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TIMETABLES: While the U.S. was bound by the terms of the withdrawal agreement signed by the Bush administration and Iraq, setting August 31, 2010 as an official date for the change in mission was President Obama’s decision, and one with important implications for Afghanistan. It sends the signal that the U.S.’s deployments will not be determined by events outside of U.S. control, and that the U.S. will make the decision when it leaves. CAP’s Larry Korb and Brian Katulis observed that, while the conventional wisdom holds that Bush’s open-ended commitment of troops to Iraq created conditions for the U.S. withdrawal, “a closer examination of the facts demonstrates that the opposite is true — in Iraq, violence declined because more Iraqis perceived that U.S. troops were leaving and took appropriate action.” Sticking to a timetable for Afghanistan, Korb and Katulis write, “offers the best hope for us and the Afghan people because it will motivate them to take control of their own affairs and increase their own security forces.”
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A new way to hold Republicans accountable
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| With Congress’s August recess now under way, Republican members of Congress are starting to show up at Tea Party events and campaign rallies all over the country.
We saw last year during the fight for health reform that this is a time when the extremists run rampant. Remember “death panels?” This year, Republicans are looking to have it both ways, trying to appeal to independent voters while making promises to the Tea Party crowd to pursue an extreme right-wing agenda if they regain control of Congress. We don’t — but I sure wish we did. That’s where the “Accountability Project” comes in. It’s a platform for citizens to document Republican candidates and their public statements at local events, as well as their campaign tactics. The Accountability Project allows you to submit videos, recordings, and other items for publication online, so that candidates see that there’s a cost to their dishonest statements — and so that everyday citizens can see what their Republican candidates for office are saying. We need people like you to take the lead. Sign up today to be a part of the Accountability Project here.  The American people deserve an honest debate — and far too often, candidates try to make misleading attacks and false claims under the radar. This project seeks to shine a light on those practices, and you have a crucial role to play in making it happen. There are several ways in which folks can participate: — If you have anything that can record video — from a cell phone to a video camera — you can go to public events and record what candidates say. — If you receive any sort of mailings or literature from candidates, you can post them online for all to see. — And if you hear of any upcoming public events for Republican candidates in your area, you can let everyone know, so that other concerned citizens can get out there. This project will enable folks to keep track of Republican candidates running for every office, up and down the ballot. Please help fight back against Republicans’ shadowy tactics — participate in The Accountability Project: http://my.democrats.org/APsignup Thanks, Shauna Shauna Daly |
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thorny Tuesday &some News
Labor day weekend is coming…everyone enjoy
The President will be speaking to the citizens of the United States tonight around 8pmET and gotta say that i am proud to know that even though the last President gave him the hard task of dealing with 2Wars he has remained calm cool and dignified through it all.
I will admit I am so tired of the message behind the message comments by the Media we need to listen but sort out the truth and what seems like stories for ratings. The Media including Fox News have become a monster in all things Other if you ask me. I am not sure who to blame; fox news definitely, msnbc and cnn have done their part in the constant barrage of 24/7 News. If you watch enough News it becomes questionable at times because there are definitely levels of honesty, reality and truth behind all the hosts, commentators or so-called journalists on any given News spot. It cannot be avoided but folks need to know it is not always what they claim … News has become a tool that can be manipulated …truth has become something that is debated on cable daily. I do not watch fox news; only about 2% of people of colour watch fox news. The reasons are many but most say it is because of the way they present it and themselves. nuff said
However,even though Obama did not start any wars he will have to answer to everyone for it… That sucks and idea that the US committed to being in 2Wars and some of us agree were unnecessary but unavoidable. The announcement is for this President to make; it is an end to the current combat but it is not a win of anything but we must give props to our troops and support all those men and women who fought for the United States.
In my opinion, our economy our status has stalled because of a lack of cooperation from Republicans and some conservadems who have made bad choices. I do not believe anyone runs for office to be saddled with the problems of the past President not to mention some new ones that require swift military action. It has only been 20months since Obama took office yet folks in the Media as well as Republicans someone ginned up the idea that there must be some movement before the November elections or they will be voted out of office. what? That is the first issue of mine…who has the right to say this economy should be fixed and ready to go in 20months? compare and contrast how long it took add to that a Political Party who decided they will be obstacles of progress voting no or making the vote hard and the effort scaled back which in all likely hood made the outcome and or impact slim and next to none. It has been Republicans that have failed the people of the United States not President Obama …The House of Representatives have put bills to help the people but when these bills reach the Senate Boehner and criminals vote no…the rule of 60 has hurt Americans at every angle and Republicans are exploiting it. If the Democratic Party can keep the House and take more seats in the Senate things can and will get done for the people.
Though it is the last day of August, it is blowing and raining like a true fall day. I am hoping that more days of heat are still something to look forward too. I know we clearly have it better here than the Caribbean as well as all along the East Coast so i will not be complaining about the weather too much. What is worth complaining about is the fear, hate and discrimination happening all over our country in a time when historians say is always the case. The recession has pitted folks against each other blaming this that and the Other for the plight we are all feeling. The plight i see is the haves used to have and have nothing anymore. The blame is on the last President and his admin as well as the crooked behavior by those with money who bet against the middle class and their money for possible Profits and failed to keep it up any longer. The bets failed and those with power money and authority let our economy crash into a ditch without trying to stop it before we voted the next President into office. I find that not only offensive but the worse thing anyone could do …and it happened here in the United States. The current President was against War and at the time, he voted against the Iraq war the Afghanistan war was the place where the folks who committed the attack on NYC 9/11 were there and even today, my feelings are that they got away and the real story has yet to unmasked. I am not stupid and i hope the public gets it …The idea that a President allowed 2 huge tax cuts and 2Wars be implemented without the paygo laws the current Republican Party insists on is outrageous in my opinion.
Republicans have made us all see that when the going gets tough and the American People need help. Republicans are not the folks to ask unless of course you meet their standards, their criteria’s. This can only mean that they practice exclusion, possibly separate and definitely unequal in a moment in time when we have our first Bi-racial President trouble with immigration reform, health care that needed to be reformed and a financial system that took us all down; some more than others. Republicans have sold the citizens of the US out. I have to ask and ask are their constituents listening watching what their representatives are saying because it all affects them too! Voting NO to every Bill that would help the citizens of the US and help our economy is beyond acceptable. It is important that every one of us drill this into the heads of Independents or anyone on the right who is feeling the actions of the Republicans, feeling negative effect of the No votes because those votes have consequences. These no votes could be our complete failure without a way to get out of it. The it being a depression…that is what Republicans are willing to risk willing to bet against the people because they side with big Corporations -did they back the people of the Gulf Coast or BP …what side are Republicans on people and can you accept a Political Party willing to be divisive?
It signifies exactly where the Republican Party stands and it definitely is not with the People of the United States. If you had to choose between helping any one class or group of people, Republicans chose Wall Street and deregulation. When an actual vote took place, they voted to abandoned states Teachers, first responders, firefighters, police and more. They voted against the unemployed but have been selling, telling and insisting that the Bush tax cuts will be a job killer. It is time for folks to open their eyes …like they did when it came to making that decision about Palin -people ended up opening their eyes and maybe it took some outside influences …maybe we need that now
Other News…
**Deere sells Wind Energy biz for 900 million
**Banks Post $21.6 Billion in Profits
Yesterday, President Obama urged Senate Republicans to “drop the blockade” on the Small Business Jobs bill, which “will cut more taxes and make available more loans, including $55 billion in tax relief.” After the Republican minority blocked the bill from coming to the Senate floor in July, Obama asked Congress to make it the “first order of business” when it returns from recess in September.
The Justice Department filed another lawsuit against Arizona yesterday, arguing “that a network of community colleges acted illegally in requiring noncitizens to provide their green cards before they could be hired for jobs.” The suit alleges that the colleges “discriminated against nearly 250 noncitizen job applicants by mandating that they fill out more documents than required by law to prove their eligibility to work.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) “was dealt another major setback Monday when the Alaska Libertarian Party announced it would not swap its chosen candidate for the Republican senator if she loses her party’s nomination.” “The party voted unanimously Sunday not to allow Murkowski to run on its ticket,” so her only remaining option to stay in the race would be to run as a write-in candidate.
**Man has major run in with bed bugs in Oregon Hotel and lands in hospital
**Hurricane Earl is expected to be a cat4 so please evacuate folks on the East Coast
CSPAN ..
Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.) Briefing on Gulf Oil Spill
Pres. Obama Meets with Troops at Fort Bliss Army Base
White House Oval Office Remodeled
Congressional Muslim Staff Association Discussion on Image of Muslims in America
Be a Seed for Change 
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