Take Action! (action items on key bills and issues)

TAKE ACTION!

Today’s New Alerts: DU these, please, and kick so everyone can help!

“CLEAR SKIES” UP FOR VOTE NEXT WEEK: URGE CONGRESS TO OPPOSE THIS AIR POLLUTORS' BONANZA

Dirty Secrets Behind the Misnamed "Clear Skies" Bill
Over 30,000 Environmental Defense activists have spoken out against the misnamed "Clear Skies" bill - an unprecedented rollback to our nation's clean air laws. Reintroduced by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), the bill would make lasting, damaging changes to the Clean Air Act. A Senate Committee will consider "Clear Skies" next week - tell your senators and President Bush to support healthier air, not a smokescreen.

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/clearskies/8k73se42j8...

STOP BUSH’S BUDGET CUTS—2 ACTION ALERTS:

From the Democratic Party: Tell Bush to Take His Budget Back to the Drawing Board!
The proposed 2006 federal budget President Bush released yesterday would drive America deeper into debt while making cuts that will hurt veterans, farmers, and other working Americans..
Sign our petition today … America needs a responsible budget that meets our priorities while making serious reductions in the deficit.
http://www.democrats.org/action

From Campaign for America’s Future: Tell Congress to Reject the Bush budget!

Tell Congress to reject Bush’s indecent budget proposal! Tell them that you don’t want your government to undercut schools in need, eliminate childcare assistance, keep college out of reach for qualified students, cut Medicaid and foodstamps, and more than double veterans’ co-pays for prescription drugs—all while giving tax cuts to millionaires and hiking the federal deficit to $1.4 trillion!
Please contact your representatives today and demand that they reject the Bush budget and realign America’s spending priorities to serve us all not just a privileged few.

http://www.ourfuture.org/reject_bush_budget.cfm

DEFEND HARRY REID FROM GOP SMEAR MACHINE!

Republicans are again playing their tired old game of trying to demonize--in their words "Daschle-ize"--anyone who disagrees with them. This time they are calling newly elected Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid names just for taking principled stands against the administration's most extreme positions.
It's not going to work and a big reason for that is you. We need you and every American tired of the hypocrisy emanating from George Bush and his cronies at the RNC to stand with Harry by signing our new petition.

http://action.dscc.org/campaign/reid


PREVENT FORCED DRUGGING OF OUR KIDS:
SAY NO TO THE NEW FREEDOM COMMISSION!

Bush wants to make testing our children for mental illness mandatory. Parental consent is not required. This could lead to forced drugging of your kids. Please sign this petition:

http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/pcapetition.htm


DEMAND A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR! HOW DID A FAKE JOURNALIST FROM A GOP FRONT GROUP GET A WHITE HOUSE PRESS PASS?

Sign a petition demanding appointment of a special prosecutor to look into how Jeff Gannon of Talon News managed to get a White House press pass—despite the fact that he used a fake name, holds no bona fide jorurnalism degree, works for a GOP-front group and is the alleged operator of several gay escort service websites!

http://democrats.com/gannon


TELL YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL & CONTRACEPTION:
While Republican leaders are fast-tracking a bill that would endanger young women’s health, familiy-planning supporters are promoting policies that will actually help women by preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion.
Urge your senators to focus on the issues on which we share common ground and become a cosponsor of the Prevention First Act today!

http://prochoiceaction.org/campaign/sen_reidprevention_...


STOP ROLLBACKS OF OVERFISHING PROTECTION

One quarter of commercial fish in U.S. waters are overfished or in danger of being overfished. Populations of tuna, cod, skate and grouper are much smaller than decades ago. But the Bush Administration has proposed weakening standards that protect fisheries from overfishing - standards that are starting to help some fish make a comeback. With the seafood industry generating over 250,000 jobs and contributing billions to our nation's economy, healthy fisheries mean a healthy economy. Tell the U.S. government's lead fisheries official keep overfishing protections.

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/overfish/8k73se42j855...



SUPPORT THE VOTER ACT: HR 533 (CONYERS & TUBBS-JONES)
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) was proud to join in the challenge of Ohio's electors and to protest the numerous voting irregularities which shamed our country in the 2004 presidential election. Now is the time to pass legislation to make certain such abuses do not happen and every vote is counted in future elections. Election outcomes must be determined by voters, not politicians.

To achieve this goal, we call on every PDA activist to lobby their Congressional Representatives to support and/or cosponsor the VOTER Act (H.R. 533), introduced by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones. Send a letter to your representatives now!

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/mail/oneclick_compose/?aler...


STOP WAL-MART’S WAR ON WORKERS!

Together, as consumers and as activists, we have the power to stop Wal-Mart's attack on workers—and to hold corporations accountable for Wal-Marting jobs. This is a battle about the kind of society we want to live in and the kinds of jobs we want our children to have. You can make a difference.

Click here to sign the petition to Wal-Mart's CEO:
www.unionvoice.org/campaign/walmart_accountable


PREVIOUS ALERTS: STILL ACTIVE

IMPEACH BUSH!

Ramsey Clark has almost half a million signatures.
Please sign and forward this link to others:
http://www.votetoimpeach.org /

More on how you can help persuade Congress to impeach Bush:

http://www.impeach-bush-now.org /

SAVE CONSUMERS’ RIGHT TO SUE CORPORATE LOOTERS & POLLUTERS


The Senate just approved a bill to restrict class action lawsuits to clogged federal courts, even where existing state remedies might be more effective. Unless you raise your voice now, we will lose our protection against corporations that put greed above public safety. Urge Congress to vote “NO” on this bad measure!

http://www.usalone.com/class_action.htm


PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE U.S. SENATE: SAVE THE FILIBUSTER

From Common Cause: The filibuster has a long history in the Senate of fending off actions supported by a bare majority, but deeply offensive to the minority. If an individual senator were to abuse the privilege of the filibuster, he or she could be over overridden by a super majority of 60 votes.

To remove a long-standing parliamentary maneuver to serve immediate partisan goals violates core democratic values and is an anathema to the Senate's long standing commitment to consensus and a bipartisan deliberative process... It is an abuse of power to strip the Senate minority of a tool designed to protect its rights – rights both parties have vociferously defended throughout the Senate’s history

We the undersigned call on the United States Senators not to support changing of long standing Senate filibuster rules to blatantly advance one party’s goals.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/ka/ct/contactus.as...

PROTEST SCHWARZENEGGER’S BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR CALIFORNIA
Send a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger regarding his budget. Tell the Governor you do not want him piling debt onto our grandchildren just so he can pursue the Bush/Rove/Norquist extremist agenda.Click here to Speak Out! http://ga4.org/campaign/Budget05
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ:
Senator Kennedy says “It’s time to take the target off our troops.” Sign the petition calling for American troops to come home by the end of 2006.

http://action.democraticmajority.com/petition /

STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY:

• Email your Members of Congress and ask them to strengthen Social Security, not weaken it with private accounts - go to:

http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5...

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to explain why George Bush's plan to cut promised Social Security benefits is wrong. The DNC has made it really easy to do, just go to

http://www.democrats.org/action/200501050001.html

• Join AARP's fight to keep Social Security strong at http://www.aarp.org/tools/partner?url=http://capwiz.com...

SAVE OUR NATIONAL FORESTS

If influential leaders like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stand by silently, President Bush will eliminate the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects unspoiled national forest lands from coast to coast. Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger to stand up for California's and all of America's national forests. For what you can do go to http://www.savebiogems.org/takeaction.asp

SAVE CONSUMERS’ RIGHT TO SUE CORPORATE LOOTERS & POLLUTERS


The Senate has approved restriction of class action lawsuits to federal court, even where existing state remedies might be more effective. It will be voted on in the House any day now. Urge your Congressional representative to Vote NO!
http://www.usalone.com/class_action.htm


PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE U.S. SENATE: SAVE THE FILIBUSTER

From Common Cause: The filibuster has a long history in the Senate of fending off actions supported by a bare majority, but deeply offensive to the minority. If an individual senator were to abuse the privilege of the filibuster, he or she could be over overridden by a super majority of 60 votes.

To remove a long-standing parliamentary maneuver to serve immediate partisan goals violates core democratic values and is an anathema to the Senate's long standing commitment to consensus and a bipartisan deliberative process.

It is wrong to jettison a longtime Senate procedure simply because it is inconvenient to one party’s goals. It is an abuse of power to strip the Senate minority of a tool designed to protect its rights – rights both parties have vociferously defended throughout the Senate’s history

We the undersigned call on the United States Senators not to support changing of long standing Senate filibuster rules to blatantly advance one party’s goals.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/ka/ct/contactus.as...

PROTEST SCHWARZENEGGER’S BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR CALIFORNIA
Send a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger regarding his budget. Tell the Governor you do not want him piling debt onto our grandchildren just so he can pursue the Bush/Rove/Norquist extremist agenda.Click here to Speak Out! http://ga4.org/campaign/Budget05
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ:
Senator Kennedy says “It’s time to take the target off our troops.” Sign the petition calling for American troops to come home by the end of 2006.

http://action.democraticmajority.com/petition /

STRENGTHEN SOCIAL SECURITY:

• Email your Members of Congress and ask them to strengthen Social Security, not weaken it with private accounts - go to:

http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5...


Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper to explain why George Bush's plan to cut promised Social Security benefits is wrong. The DNC has made it really easy to do, just go to

http://www.democrats.org/action/200501050001.html

• Join AARP's fight to keep Social Security strong at

http://www.aarp.org/tools/partner ?
url=http://capwiz.com/aarp/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=5...


SAVE OUR NATIONAL FORESTS

If influential leaders like California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stand by silently, President Bush will eliminate the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that protects unspoiled national forest lands from coast to coast. Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger to stand up for California's and all of America's national forests. For what you can do go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/takeaction.asp


ASK CONGRESS FOR REAL SECURITY REFORMS—NOT A WAR ON IMMIGRANTS

From the ACLU: The United States is a nation of immigrants with a long, proud history of granting asylum to those fleeing from religious or political persecution. But "security reform" legislation introduced in Congress makes a mockery of that tradition with an outrageous requirement that would force many asylum seekers to get supporting evidence from the very governments they are fleeing. House Judiciary Committee Chairman, James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), has proposed a bill . This bill would allow officials to require people seeking asylum to get supporting evidence from the very governments they are fleeing. It would also impose federal control over the issuance of state drivers licenses, even if this violation of their own policies. Further, it would expand the PATRIOT Act to allow deportations of lawful permanent residents for providing non-violent, humanitarian support to organizations later labeled as "terrorist" by the government, even where such support was completely legal at the time it was provided.

Tell Congess to oppose H.R. 418, the REAL ID ACT of 2005:

http://www.aclu.org/ImmigrantsRights/ImmigrantsRights.c...