Sen. Feingold to Receive Backbone Award During Seatle Visit

Celebrate the leadership and courage of one of our finest Senators.

Saturday, May 20, 12:30 PM
Whittier Elementary School
1320 NW 75th Street
Seattle, Washington

The Backbone Campaign will present Senator Russ Feingold a Backbone Award outside a Seattle rally organized by the Washington State Democrats. details here (http://www.wa-democrats.org/feingold.php)

On March 13, 2006, Senator Russ Feingold introduced a resolution to censure George W. Bush for illegally wiretapping U.S. citizens. Despite pleas from citizens around the country, only three other Senators have had the courage to co-sponsor his bill: Sen. Barbara Boxer - (co-sponsored on 3/16/2006), Sen. Tom Harkin (co-sponsored on 3/15/2006), and Sen. John F. Kerry - (co-sponsored on 5/11/2006).

Unlike many Senators, Russ Feingold does not shy away from politically lonely decisions. It was his solo vote against the now controversial PATRIOT Act on October 11, 2001 that grabbed the attention of many citizens concerned that the attacks on 9-11-2001 would be used to undermine the liberties guaranteed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Those concerns and his vote of protest were well warranted, as many American principles once taken for granted are now either threatened, or considered out-dated by the current Administration. (Principles such as: habeas corpus, attorney-client privilege, right to a speedy trial, no indefinite detention, individual privacy, need for warrant before tapping phones, not to mention adherence to international prohibitions on torture, and preventive war.)

Feingold is leading on ending the occupation on Iraq as well. In June 2005, Senator Feingold became the first senator to offer a resolution calling on the President to offer a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, suggesting the end of 2006 as a target date. On April 27 of this year, the Senator offered an amendment to the emergency supplemental appropriations bill calling for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq by December 31, 2006.

For these reasons, the Backbone Campaign is pleased for the opportunity to recognize Senator Feingold for his boldness and political courage with our Backbone Award. Please join us at this event. RSVP to let us know you'll be there. Gather near the Backbone table at 12:15, as the place and timing of the presentation will be determined by event organizers.


http://www.wa-democrats.org/feingold.php

http://www.backbonecampaign.org/

He deserves this.

Thanks.

Good for the Backbone Campaign!

Cantwell... Do you get it yet??? Gosh, I can't stand her!

Awards Recipients to Date:

Cong. Jim McDermott 1-11-04
Jim Hightower 2-20-04
Cong. Dennis Kucinich 3-10-04
Gov. Howard Dean 3-18-04
Cynthia McKinney 5-1-04
Amy Goodman 5-7-04
Greg Palast 5-8-04
Bernie Sanders 5-24-04
Michael Copps 6-24-04
Doris Granny D Haddock
Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones


:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

Russ Spinegold to me!

My first post on DU after months and months of fantastic "lurking" ?

I have forwarded page link after page link from this site to all I know, but for some reason have been reluctant to post until now. Really, this site has been invaluable to me, particularly on the vote fraud/criminal tabulators coup subject. ( Peace Patriot I bow down to.)

Anyway, thanks to cal04 for starting this thread. While I cannot even begin to raise my hopes up that the next two national elections will be even close to fair, that sliver of optimism and hope remains ... that just maybe ??? Which in turn brings me right to Russ Feingold being elected to the White House in '08. ( President, or VP ... either/or ). So when I read here yesterday that Russ would be in Seattle today, WOW !!! And then I almost died when I read that he'd be speaking at Whittier School, where two of my (3) young sons attend. Last night I found an old can of paint... scrawled out a few signs for me and the boys ... and around noon walked on down a few blocks to "our" school ( no gas used .. yippee !! ).

What an amazing day ...



That's Russ being presented with the very cool Golden Backbone award, out back of the auditorium before he went on stage to speak.

Golden Backbone folks ... very nice, very committed, very articulate. Russ was impressed, I could tell. As he was heading in, he did turn around and very seriously impress the point that we Washingtonians really needed to work hard to make sure Maria Cantwell gets re-elected. Dammit, I wish she would make that easier on us. Yes, I'm glad she fights for ANWAR , and usually votes as I'd like ... but really, her Hillary-esque trying-to-play-both-sides BULLSHIT concerning IRAQ makes it extremely hard. Not to mention that yesterday we got a mailing asking for donations where she went on about how proud she was that she voted against putting Roberts and Alito on the Supreme Court. Again, I cry BULLSHIT ! She had her chance with Alito to support the filibuster attempt, and didn't give us the time of day. EVERYONE ( who's anyone ) knew that if the filibuster failed, Alito was in. The second vote was basically meaningless. So Cantwell failed to support her fellow brave Democrats on the filibuster vote, then did the safe ( and predestined LOSING ) vote against Alito ( thanks for NOTHING ) ... and now has the unmitigated gall to bring this up as a shining moment in her fundraising letters. As if we're too dumb to know that when the crucial vote was there, she opted to protect ELK rather than fight putting someone on the Supreme Court for LIFE who will likely end up forcing poor women across America again into back alley abortions. Grrrrrr ...

But, like they say, it's POLITICS ... so ...

... when Russ feels it's important enough to turns let us Progressives know that it is extremely important that Cantwell is re-elected (head-in-sand-criminal-vote-tabulators-aren't-an-issue-lala-land-not-withstanding), in hopes that when the Dems retake the Congress serious investigations on this administration can commence.... well, I suppose I will hold my nose and touch that screen ( ha ) for Maria. I suppose I am still an optimistic dreamer buried underneath this cynical, realist, informed ( thanks to DU and others ) exterior.

So, I will continue to aggressively support Progressives like Russ. I will vote against Maria in the primary, and regardless vote for a Democratic Senate in November. I have absolutely no faith that my vote will even be fairly counted. Yet I will continue to play the game, if for no other reason than to inspire my sons to become involved, to become aware.

I hope the hand they shook today was that of a future President. We'll do our best...