Monday, November 28, 2005
Blue Hearts 7.11.28.05
Hey All,
Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Just wanted to get you some good info and some funny stuff to brighten your day.
I'll keep you posted about our next gathering in January, 2006. I have Bumper Stickers available, finally!
The tide is turning, I believe. Now is the time to speak the truth to the uninformed/underinformed. We can make a difference!
Thanks,
Kristin
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Humor:
With christmas around the corner you can't go wrong with one of these babies!!
http://www.peacecandy.com/gwbush/dishonestdubya/
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Subject: FW: Soldier (Remix)
http://www.americancomedynetwork.com/FLASH/soldiers.htm
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http://www.yeeguy.com/freefall/
Serious:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems like only yesterday, but it was one year ago that BuyBlue launched on December 1, 2004 with our Blue Christmas list of products and services, and the campaign contributions of the companies that make them.
If you are new to BuyBlue, you might be asking yourself what "Blue Christmas" is all about.
Retailers make a significant portion of their yearly sales during the Christmas season. At this time of the year, we have the greatest opportunity to vote for our values with our wallets and have retailers take notice. Last year, many of us did just that, and retailers and news organizations definitely took notice.
Since last Christmas, our volunteer researchers have been hard at work collecting articles on even more companies, filling in their political contributions, and substantiating their ratings under our new categories: Labor and Human Rights, Environment, Employment Equality, Corporate and Social Responsibility, and Industry Practices (read our research methodology). In the past year Buyblue has become a shopping list of sorts and we are striving to make all our data even more accessible.
This year we have put together a list of the companies most deserving of our patronage, based on all the factors we track on our site. The result is the Blue Christmas 2005, a sort of "Editor's List" of products and services we recommend. You can also find information on nearly 500 companies, representing more than 1100 brands and products.
We've put together several print-friendly items to take along when you're shopping this holiday season. You'll find a one-page flyer in both color and black and white versions that you can take with you or share with friends and family. You'll also find a wallet-sized list that you can print from home.
With this list, we hope that you'll be able to put your money where your values are, and vote with your wallets. Please share this list with your loved ones and discuss it with local organizations in which you may be involved. Most importantly, use the list to shop this Christmas season, and let these retailers know why you have chosen to patronize them. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or none of the above we hope you have a safe and enjoyable time with your friends and family this holiday season.
Blue Christmas 2005 Posted by rocketsauce on November 20, 2005 - 9:18pm
Airlines:
Aloha Airlines
Frontier
JetBlue
Southwest
United
Beauty / Grooming / Cosmetics:
BeneFit
Christian Dior
Estee Lauder
Sephora
The Body Shop
Beer / Wine / Spirits:
Boston Beer Co.
Sam Adams
Brown-Forman
Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort
E&J Gallo
New Belgium
LVMH
Hennessy, Moet & Chandon
Sierra Nevada
Big Box / Superstores:
Costco
Bookstores / CDs / DVDs
Barnes & Noble
Powell's
Candy / Chocolate / Desserts:
Panache- all blue all the time and is locally owned! wwwchocolatekc.com
Lindt's
Cell Phones / Phone Service:
Qualcomm
Working Assets
Clothes:
Burlington Coat Factory
Claire's Stores
Frederick's of Hollywood
Gap
Banana Republic, Old Navy
J. Crew
Levi Strauss
LL Bean
Men's Wearhouse, Inc.
Patagonia
Polo Ralph Lauren
REI
Coffee / Coffee Shops:
Caribou Coffee
Green Mountain Coffee
Peet's
Starbucks
Computers / Electronics:
Apple
Fry's
Gateway
Eyewear
Luxottica
Arnette, Killer Loop, Ray-Ban, Prada, Vogue, DKNY
Fast Food:
Arby's
Panera Bread
Sonic
Subway
Groceries
Trader Joe's
Gyms:
Bally's Total Fitness
Holiday & Gifts:
Lillian Vernon
Yankee Candle
Home & Garden
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Crate & Barrel
IKEA
Hotels:
Best Western
Choice Hotels
Hyatt
Starwood
Jewelry:
Signet
Leather Goods:
Coach
LVMH
Fendi, Etc…
Satellite Radio:
XM
Shoes:
Foot Locker
Reebok
Timberland
Toys / Games / Video Games:
Mattel
Nintendo
BuyBlue.org, a consumer advocacy issues website, is a nonprofit corporation registered in the state of California, with federal 501(c)(3) status pending.
The opinions and viewpoints expressed by the authors here are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BuyBlue.org.
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November 27, 2005 KC Star
Carving Up Our Economic Pie
By Holly Sklar
Pie season is here. Pumpkin, apple, cherry, whatever you like. We can use edible pie charts -- and some chocolate -- to see how our national economic pie is being carved up more unfairly.
Let's look first at income distribution.
Take two pies -- one for 1979, the other for 2003 (using the latest IRS data).
Divide the 1979 pie into 10 equal slices. If the slices were eaten according to the distribution of income in 1979:
-- The richest 1 percent of taxpayers would get one slice.-- The rest of the top 20 percent would get four slices.-- The other 80 percent of taxpayers would split five slices.
Now, divide the 2003 pie into 10 slices.
-- The richest 1 percent would get nearly two slices.-- The rest of the top 20 percent would get a little over four slices.-- The other 80 percent would split four slices.
In 1979, the top 20 percent of taxpayers had about as much income as the other 80 percent combined. In 2003, the top 20 percent had 60 percent of the income, leaving just 40 percent for the rest. The richest 1 percent nearly doubled their share.
Let's look more closely at the upward shift in income.
In 1979, the bottom 40 percent of taxpayers had about 15 percent more combined income than the richest 1 percent. In 2003, the richest 1 percent had twice the income share of the bottom 40 percent.
The richest 1 percent share of reported income jumped from 9.6 percent in 1979 to 17.5 percent in 2003. The bottom 40 percent share fell from 11.3 percent to 8.8 percent.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston puts the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else in stark perspective. He examined the income reported on tax returns of the top 0.01 percent -- about 14,000 households with at least $5.5 million in income.
From 1950 to 1970, for every additional dollar earned by those in the bottom 90 percent, those in the top 0.01 percent earned an additional $162.
From 1990 to 2002, for every additional dollar earned in the bottom 90 percent, those at the top brought in an extra $18,000.
If you are feeling financially down this holiday season, you're not alone. Average workers have been earning less after inflation, not more. Average hourly earnings dropped 5 percent, adjusting for inflation, between 1979 and 2004 -- while domestic corporate profits rose 63 percent.
The share of national income going to wages and salaries is at the lowest level since 1929 -- the year that kicked off the Great Depression. The share going to after-tax corporate profits, which heavily benefit wealthy Americans through increased dividends and capital gains, is at the highest level since 1929.
Income gaps in the workplace have become increasingly outrageous, as seen in the growing gap between worker pay and CEO pay. We can demonstrate it with a pile of chocolate.
Give 1 piece of chocolate to your worker stand-in and 44 pieces to your CEO stand-in. That was the 1980 ratio of average full-time worker pay to average pay among CEOs in Business Week's survey of major corporations.
For the equivalent 2004 ratio, give 1 piece of chocolate to the worker and 362 to the CEO.
As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports, federal policy is contributing "to a further widening of income disparities between the most affluent households and other Americans." Households with incomes over $1 million will receive an average tax cut of $103,000 this year -- an increase of 5.4 percent in their after-tax income.
The congressional majority is done crying crocodile tears over Katrina and the shameful inequality it exposed.
They're working overtime to stiff the have-nots with more budget cuts so they can keep stuffing the pockets of the haves with more tax cuts. The budget knife is dropping on Medicaid, education, child care, food assistance and more-- even public health, despite loud warnings we are unprepared for bird flu and other threats.
Tell your senators and members of Congress what you think about their priorities, and make your voice count when you vote next November.
Holly Sklar is co-author of "Raise the Floor: Wages and Policies That Work for All Of Us" (www.raisethefloor.org). She can be reached at hsklar@aol.com.Copyright (c) 2005 Holly Sklar
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Subject: Women's Health Deserves Science, Not Ideology
Date: November 22, 2005 11:23:24 AM CST
Reply-To: info@hillaryclinton.com
Dear Friends,
I want to give you an update on Hillary's work on behalf of women's health, trying to ensure that decisions about health care are made on the basis of science and not ideology. We have news to report both on emergency contraception and protecting women against cervical cancer.
Plan B Emergency Contraception
Hillary continues to urge the Food and Drug Administration to issue a decision on access to Plan B emergency contraception, as recommended by the FDA's own scientific and professional staff.
Last week, the Government Accountability Office released a study requested by Senators Clinton and Murray in June 2004 on the FDA's failure to make a decision. According to the GAO report, high-level professional staff at the FDA were told by high-level management that this application would be rejected even before the staff had completed their reviews. The decision to make no decision was made by political appointees - not the scientific and professional staff.
"This long-awaited report leaves no question that science was compromised in the FDA's decision making process on Plan B," Senators Clinton and Murray said.
Protecting Women and Girls from Cervical Cancer
Now Hillary has called on Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt to ensure that decisions about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are made on the basis of science - not politics.
Almost 14,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than 3,900 die of the disease.
In her letter to Secretary Leavitt, Hillary wrote:
[R]ecent press reports indicate that certain organizations are beginning to mobilize against the vaccine, arguing - without scientific evidence - that it may encourage sexual activity among youth. ...I too believe our children and the public health at large are best served when young people abstain from sex. But it would be unconscionable to withhold the HPV vaccine, which holds tremendous promise to protect against the devastating disease of cervical cancer, for political or ideological reasons.
Thank you to the thousands who signed our petition supporting Hillary's call to the FDA. We'll continue to keep you informed of her work in this and other issues. And thank you, as always, for being a Friend of Hillary!
Sincerely,
Ann F. Lewis
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11-9-05 KCStar
ALITO NOMINATION
Abortion ruling tells volumes
ellen goodman
BOSTON — There was a moment in Samuel Alito’s introduction when he tipped his hat to the justice he hopes to succeed.
As a rookie arguing his first case before the Supreme Court, Alito remembered, Sandra Day O’Connor’s first question was a gentle one. “I was grateful to her on that happy occasion,” said Alito, “and I’m particularly honored to be nominated for her seat.”
Alito did not mention the time Justice O’Connor was far less gentle, the day she offered a bruising rebuttal to one of his appeals court opinions. But it’s this head-on collision between Alito and O’Connor that tells you what a difference a justice makes.
It tells you as well why anti-abortion conservatives, who never cottoned up to the “umpire” John Roberts, call this appointment a “grand slam home run.” It tells you why a giddy right-wing Web site, confirmthem.com, is posting the lyrics of a love song, “Alito,” to the tune of “Maria.”
The collision came over Alito’s opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case that is becoming the most famous entry in his dossier. The Pennsylvania Legislature had written a slew of restrictions on abortion. But when the law reached the 3rd Circuit appeals court, Alito was the only member who upheld the requirement that a woman must tell her husband before she had an abortion.
Alito argued that most women told their husbands anyway. He brushed aside the idea that this requirement would be a burden on women with abusive husbands. With a wink, a nod, and a footnote, he even implied that the law would be easy to get around, “difficult to enforce and easy to evade.”
The day the case was heard by the Supreme Court, O’Connor cut straight to the heart of the mandated marital talk. If a state could require a woman to notify her husband, she asked, why not her boyfriend or any other man? If a woman had to notify a man before an abortion, could she also be forced to notify a man before intercourse? Could the state do that? Where exactly did a woman’s rights end and state rule begin?
The Supreme Court turned out to be far more sensitive to domestic abuse than Alito. “Should these women become pregnant, they may have very good reasons for not wishing to inform their husbands of their decision to obtain an abortion,” wrote the majority.
But O’Connor understood instinctively the relationship between a woman’s right to decide and her individual liberty. The opinion she wrote with Justices Kennedy and Souter said that “the liberty of the woman is at stake in a sense unique to the human condition, and so, unique to the law. ... The destiny of the woman must be shaped to a large extent on her own conception of her spiritual imperatives and her place in society.” The right to abortion itself was upheld 5-4 in Casey. The power of the state to force a marital conversation was denied. It doesn’t take a genius to see what would have happened with Alito in O’Connor’s seat. Nor does it take a crystal ball to see how far — back — a right-wing court can take us.
For most of history, wives were owned by husbands who controlled all their critical life decisions. Their wages, their property, their bodies all belonged to their husbands. Legal history shows women gradually gaining their rights as separate individuals, including reproductive rights. Some men protest that they are left with no rights and all the bills. But when push comes to shove, one of two people has to make the decision. Those decisions belong to the one who will bear the child.
There will be other telltale pages on Alito’s paper trail. But we know what Alito’s 90-year-old mother knows: “Of course he’s against abortion.”
There will be other telltale moments in this presidency, but we now know what happens when the right wing holds a weakened Bush in a vise grip. This is how far we can go.
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11-8-05 KCS
AMERICAN GIRL BOYCOTT
Groups pick a fight with a doll over messages to girls
By Mary Sanchez The Kansas City Star
Josefina arrived with a $100 price tag. Admittedly a lot for a doll, even one with cool accessories.
Bought as a gift for nieces, Josefina is now the subject of an anti-abortion boycott by the American Family Association and the Pro-Life Action League. The tale of how a doll is causing such angst is one of tangents and missed implications.
Josefina replicates a New Mexico girl from 1824. She came with tiny earrings, leather moccasins and books about her adventures, in English and Spanish.
The doll was a gift of girl power. Josefina’s story is how she learns to accept her mother’s death and move on gracefully with her life. She was money well spent.
Preteens at the time, my nieces were soon to be bombarded with messages to be impossibly thin, to look like actresses whose imperfections are airbrushed away for magazine covers.
Josefina is part of a historically accurate line of dolls in the American Girl collection.
American Girl drew flak when it linked with Girls Inc., formerly Girls Clubs of America. The company is donating to Girls Inc. some proceeds from plastic wristlets with the motto “I Can.” As in, “I can be myself, follow my dreams and always do my best.”
The $1 wristlets are the sort of jewelry little girls love. They also subtlety speak about achievement and living well alongside others.
The 141-year-old Girls Inc. serves mostly African-American and Latino girls from impoverished backgrounds. Programming focuses on encouraging math and science, athletics, self-respect and leadership skills.
Girls Inc.’s motto: “Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.”
It is hard to argue with that, especially given that the organization works with girls from households of less than $25,000. These girls have to be strong, smart and bold just to make it through the day. So what is so objectionable about Girls Inc. and by association, American Girl?
Girls Inc. has been labeled pro-abortion and condoning lesbianism.
True, the organization recognizes that some young women will struggle with the issue of sexual orientation, and that part of being a young woman is deciding what to do with your body sexually.
Never mind that Girls Inc. also stresses abstinence as the first choice for young people, that family is the primary source of information about sexuality. Girls Inc. doesn’t preach. It doesn’t fume that one religious belief is right for all.
Both sides of this debate say they want to support young women. Both sides honestly try.
But American Family Association and Pro-Life Action League seem to take a different route. Their well-intentioned lessons seem to be about telling young women what not to do. What not to think, what not to do with their lives.
Girls Inc., by comparison, is a more empowering voice. Girls Inc. believes young women can make good choices when given solid support.
The fact that contraception and the legality of abortion are acknowledged by Girls Inc. was termed “a deal breaker,” by John Jensen, co-director of Pro-Life Action League’s youth outreach division. “It does discount all of the other good that they do,” he said.
The truth is the self-esteem building programs of Girls Inc. have likely kept many girls from becoming pregnant before they were in stable marriages and able to emotionally and financially support a child.
With so many sexist and damaging images for young girls in the public realm, why focus on one thread in an organization that is doing so much good?
The ethical dilemma is like some of the tough choices the American Girl doll collection has its characters face. Maybe another doll is needed. One that could teach these realities:
Strident stands come with responsibility. There is the responsibility to think through the long-term implications of your actions, the responsibility to respectfully hear the thoughts of others, even when you disagree. And finally, make sure your beliefs do not inadvertently harm others while making a point for yourself.
Such a doll would be worth her weight in gold right now.
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November 7, 2005
Op-Ed Columnist
And the War Goes On
By BOB HERBERT
The coalition of the clueless that launched the tragically misguided war in Iraq is in complete disarray.
Dick Cheney is simultaneously running from questions about his role in the Valerie Wilson affair and fighting like mad to block any measure that would outlaw torture by the C.I.A. His former top aide, Scooter Libby, one of the original Iraq war zealots, is now an accused felon who is seldom seen in public unaccompanied by defense counsel.
Donald Rumsfeld, the high-strutting, high-profile defense secretary who was supposed to win this war in a walk, is suddenly on the down-low. There are people in the witness protection program who are easier to find than Rummy.
As for the president, he went all the way to South America to get away from the Washington heat. But even within the luxurious confines of Air Force One, Mr. Bush found that he couldn't escape the increasingly corrosive effect of the fiascos plaguing his administration.
The ominous news of the president's plummeting approval ratings followed him like a dark cloud. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that Mr. Bush has never been less popular with the public. On nearly every important measure of character and performance, he was given lower marks than ever before. For the first time, according to the poll, a majority of Americans even questioned the president's integrity. And fully 55 percent of respondents to a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll said they believe the Bush administration has been a failure.
The fact that Mr. Bush is struggling in his own political purgatory (for the sin of incompetence) is bad news for the soldiers in Iraq, where the suffering and dying continues unabated. The administration that was so anxious to throw scores of thousands of healthy young Americans into the flames of war now has no idea how to get them out.
Troops are being sent into Iraq for two, three, even four combat tours by an administration in which clowns like Scooter Libby and Karl Rove were playing games with the identity of a C.I.A. agent, and the vice president has been obsessed with his twisted protect-the-torturers campaign.
Now the Bush crew, which should be focused like a laser on what to do about the war, is consumed with damage control - pumping up the poll numbers, defending its handling of prewar intelligence, fending off further indictments and staying out of prison.
The war? There's no plan for the war. The architects of this war had no idea what they were getting into, and they are just as clueless now. The war just goes on and on, which is not just tragic - it's criminal.
Opposition to the war may be mounting. But the reality of the war, especially the toll of American dead and wounded, fades in and out of the public's consciousness.
There was a rush of articles a couple of weeks ago when the number of deaths of Americans serving in Iraq reached 2,000. But those stories were quickly superseded by Harriet Miers's withdrawal of her nomination to the Supreme Court; President Bush's selection of Samuel Alito to take her place; the indictment of Mr. Libby; the president's address to the nation on the possibility of a bird flu pandemic and so on.
The killing of G.I.'s in Iraq once again took its place as a relatively minor story, meriting in most cases just a brief mention on the inside pages of the major newspapers, and the most cursory coverage on television newscasts.
The death toll has now reached at least 2,035 and, of course, it is climbing. More than 15,000 G.I.'s have been wounded in action. Limbs have been lost. Men and women have been permanently paralyzed, horribly burned, or blinded. Thousands more have been injured in nonhostile incidents, such as accidents, and many have fallen ill.
If the American public could see the carnage in Iraq the way television viewers saw the agony of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this war would be over. A solution would be found. Imagine watching a couple of soldiers in flames, screaming, as they attempt to escape the burning wreckage of a vehicle hit by a roadside bomb or a rocket-propelled grenade.
For all the talk, neither the administration nor the public has taken the reality of this war seriously enough to do something about it. If the sons and daughters of the privileged were fighting it, we'd be out of Iraq soon enough. But they're not fighting it.
So the war goes on and on.
Local (KC):------------------------------------------------------------
(There are lots more details that I couldn't get on this page because it's in PDF format. Please check the website or call Michele if you're interested. Kristin)
Campaign internships are available (both paid and class credit) beginning in January working for KC area PACs and candidate political campaigns. More information is contained in the attached document. Please forward this message to anyone you know who is looking for or has students looking for internship placements. Thanks!
Michele Lahr
Meridian Strategies, LLC
4338 Rockhill Rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
816/931-1005
www.meridianstrat.com
"Memories of our lives, of our works, and our deeds will continue in others. ~ Rosa Parks
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An Invitation To friends and supporters To join me at a reception and introduction as I begin my campaign For the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006.
WHEN: Monday December 5, 2005
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack
5835 Lamar Ave.
Corner of Johnson Drive and Lamar in Mission Kansas
WHAT: Introduction to House Candidate Cydney Rabourn. There will be wine samplings from one of Kansas’s well-known local wineries.
Supporters are asked to bring a suggested contribution of $25.00.
Please share this invitation and bring along others who would like to be a part of the campaign!
RSVP: 913-626-4668
I look forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Cydney
---------------------------------
Stacey Newman
Executive Director
Missouri Women's Coalition
6340 Clayton Rd #206 St. Louis MO 63117
314.494.4399
314.781.7706 fax
snewman@missouriwomenscoalition.com
www.missouriwomenscoalition.com
ACTION UPDATE
November 18, 2005
Our First Success!
The first press conference by the Coalition Against the “War on Women” was held Wednesday, November 9 at the Salad Bowl Restaurant in St. Louis. Our media coverage: Post-Dispatch article and Political Fix blog report (11.10)and KPLR news coverage (both 11.09 and 11.10). Both KMOV-TV and KTRS-AM also covered the event.
We thank our speakers: Anna Shabsin, mother of two from Clayton; and Jean Dugan, mother of two from Webster Groves; Dr. Steven Plax, a prominent retired pediatrician; Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation; Michelle Kimball of NARAL Prochoice Missouri; Paula Gianino of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region; and Stacey Newman, director of the Missouri Women’s Coalition.
Additional media this week:
Missouri Baptist Convention Pathway (published biweekly)
Missouri Baptist women respond to attack on governer by pro-abortion feminist groups - http://www.mbcpathway.com/otherstories/-1999920591/-1999114284.htm
Columbia Missourian
Blunt faces fights over birth control restriction - The Coalition Against the War on Women is working to keep the morning-after pill available without a prescription http://digmo.org/news/story.php?ID=17134
What is Next?
Our coalition is continuing to grow (see below). If you know of any group that would like to sign on with us, please notify
snewman@missouriwomenscoalition.com.
We are also continuing to add those in the medical community (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others) to our medical statement (see below). As of the press conference, we had 15 signed on. If you can refer us to a supportive medical professional, again please notify snewman@missouriwomenscoalition.com
3. The Plan B mess is garnering national news this week with an investigation begun by the Government Accountability Office into the unlawful political shenanigans by the Food and Drug Administration whether to approve Plan B for over-the-counter sales. We have asked Congressmen Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay, Jr. to sign on to the efforts begun by Rep. Henry Waxman to expose the FDA.
Coalition Members:
Change for Missouri (DFA), Coalition of Labor Union Women, St. Louis Chapter; College Democrats of University of Missouri – KC, Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Missouri Women's Coalition, Missouri Women's Network, NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, National Council of Jewish Women, St. Louis; National Women's Political Caucus of St. Louis, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region - Republicans for Choice Committee, St. Charles Democratic Alliance, St. Louis N.O.W., West County Democrats, and Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice
Medical Statement:
STATEMENT FROM MEDICAL COMMUNITY OPPOSING GOVERNOR BLUNT'S ATTACK ON BIRTH CONTROL
We the undersigned as physicians, registered nurses and pharmacists find Governor Blunt's recent attacks on birth control, specifically emergency contraception, to be dangerous to women's health in Missouri.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 26, 2005, "Governor Matt Blunt promised Tuesday (October 25, 2005) to press for a state law allowing pharmacists to refuse to file prescriptions for the "morning after pill," known as Plan B, as part of his effort "to stand up for the sanctity of life"...Blunt is now focusing on the morning-after pill because of contentions that it can halt an early pregnancy."
Governor Blunt is proposing legislation that would prevent many women from accessing safe, legal and effective birth control. This legislation is not only bad for women's health in Missouri, it is also based on faulty information.
Governor Blunt asserts that the morning-after pill, more accurately known as emergency contraception as it works for up to 120 hours after intercourse, "can halt an early pregnancy". In fact, the only contraindication for emergency contraception IS pregnancy. In other words, it will not work if a woman is pregnant. In fact, it will not harm an established pregnancy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy.
According to the FDA:
"Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work.
Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy to be used after a contraceptive fails or after unprotected sex. It is not for routine use. Drugs used for this purpose are called emergency contraceptive pills, post-coital pills, or morning after pills. Emergency contraceptives contain hormones estrogen and progestin (levonorgestrel), either separately or in combination. FDA has approved two products for prescription use for emergency contraception -- Preven (approved in 1998) and Plan B (approved in 1999).
Plan B is emergency contraception, a backup method to birth control. Plan B contains only progestin, levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone used in birth control pills for over 35 years. It is currently available only by prescription."
As members of the medical community, we understand that misinforming the public in regard to any prescription medicine is inexcusable. We believe that Governor Blunt, who does not have a medical degree, should stop publicly insinuating that Plan B and other emergency contraceptives are anything other than what they are: birth control.
Furthermore, we fully support women's timely and unhindered access to Plan B and other emergency contraceptives which, like all birth control, greatly reduce unintended pregnancies.
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November 18, 2005
It has been a busy week for the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures! On Monday, the Missouri Secretary of State officially certified the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, providing approval for us to gather the voter signatures needed to place the Initiative on the November 2006 statewide ballot. On Wednesday, the Lance Armstrong Foundation officially endorsed the Initiative and joined as a member of our Coalition. And, today we began a statewide television advertising campaign to inform voters about the Initiative and to support the signature gathering effort.
Missouri Stem Cell Initiative Certified and Official Summary Provided
Now that the Secretary of State has approved the Stem Cell Initiative for signature gathering, we plan to begin our signature gathering effort soon. We need to collect about 150,000 voter signatures by May to place the initiative on next year’s November ballot. The Secretary of State also issued the official summary of the Initiative that voters will see on the ballot. You can view the summary online at http://www.missouricures.com/rel_111505.php.
Our signature gathering effort will use both volunteer and paid signature gatherers, under the direction of a professional firm. We expect to begin this effort in December. If you think you would like to get involved in gathering signatures, please call us at 1-800-829-4133 for more information.
MCLC Begins Airing TV Ads
The Coalition began airing two television ads today to inform voters about the Stem Cell Initiative and to support the signature gathering effort. One features former Sen. John Danforth, an Honorary Co-Chair of our Coalition and an Episcopal Minister. In his spot, Sen. Danforth explains why he supports the Initiative, based on his pro-life views and voting record. “My entire political career I voted pro-life, and that is exactly why I favor the Stem Cell Initiative,” Danforth says. “I believe in saving human life. I want cures to be found, and I want the scientists, the physicians, who are here in our state of Missouri to participate in finding these cures. Please join me in supporting the Stem Cell Initiative.”
The second Coalition TV spot explains why the Initiative is needed and what it does, and notes that it is supported by many major patient and medical organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, the Christopher Reeve Foundation, the Parkinson’s Action Network, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City and Washington University in St. Louis.
Both ads can be viewed on our website at www.MissouriCures.com.
How You Can Help
At this point, there are several simple things you can do to help our efforts to protect stem cell research and cures in Missouri. Urge your friends, neighbors and colleagues to join up as a member of our growing Coalition by filling out our online member form at http://www.missouricures.com/join.php. You can also help by urging them to sign our petition when they see one of our signature gatherers in their community. And, of course, please sign a petition yourself when you get a chance. Our signature gatherers will be going to different areas of the state in the months ahead and will not be everywhere at once, so please be patient and sign a petition when they get to your area.
In the meantime, we hope you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving! And, thanks again for your support.
This voter information authorized and paid for by the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Sandra Aust, Treasurer
-----------------------------------
Coalition for a Prosperous Kansas News Statement
November 2, 2005
Voters say NO because TABOR is BAD idea!
Voters of Colorado decided to suspend the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
The fact that the only state that actually has to live under TABOR just voted to suspend it should send an important message to Kansans.
TABOR has been such a crippling straightjacket on Colorado that Governor Bill Owens, a major proponent of TABOR, begged the taxpayers to suspend it. The vote on Tuesday is a dramatic demonstration of the failure of putting tax and spending policy in the constitution. The citizens of Colorado have demonstrated at the ballot box that TABOR is a failed policy.
Kansas legislators should look closely at how much damage TABOR did when it came to protecting the real priorities of the people of Colorado. We need to focus on the real problems in our state and invest in the services we all depend on like quality schools for our children, health care for the elderly in nursing homes, and infrastructure needs such as highways, roads and bridges.
Let's ask ourselves a few questions:
* Are we ready for our children to face larger class sizes and less attention from teachers?
* Should we ask our high school graduates to abandon their college dreams?
* Are we willing to risk driving on deteriorating roads and bridges?
* Is it a good idea to endanger our state's ability to compete economically on the national and global stage?
* Do we want to jeopardize our public safety systems and correctional facilities?
TABOR has been bad for Colorado; it would be bad for Kansas. Let's learn from the experience.
Contacts:
Mark Desetti, Kansas NEA 785-232-8271; mark.desetti@knea.org
Jim Edwards, Kansas Association of School Boards 785-273-3600; jedwards@kasb.org
Brooke Tourtellot, Kansas Action for Children 785-232-0550; brooke@kac.org
The formation of the Coalition for a Prosperous Kansas was announced on September 27, 2005 at press conferences in Topeka and Wichita.
In order to ensure that Kansas maintains and improves the quality of life for all Kansans, the Coalition for a Prosperous Kansas will oppose measures that take away from elected state and local officials the authority to raise the revenues needed to support the legitimate functions of government. The Coalition will work to prevent enactment of legislation designed to place in Kansas statutes or the Kansas Constitution any such limitations, including a so-called taxpayers' bill of rights (TABOR) and measures requiring a super-majority vote of the legislature.
A listing of Coalition members is below:
Organizations:
AARP - Kansas
Big Tent Coalition
Butler County Democrat Central Committee
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
Communities In Schools of Kansas
East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Cooperation
GraceMed Health Clinic, Inc.
Independence, Inc.
Inter-Faith Ministries
Kansas Action for Children
Kansas Action Network
Kansas AFL-CIO
Kansas American Academy of Pediatricians
Kansas Association for the Education of Young Children
Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved
Kansas Association of Local Health Departments
Kansas Association of Public Employees
Kansas Association of School Boards
Kansas Chapter, National Association of Social Workers
Kansas Contractors
Kansas Early Education Partners
Kansas Families United for Public Education
Kansas Headstart Association
Kansas Health Consumers Coalition
Kansas National Education Association
Kansas Parents-Teachers Association
League of Women Voters of Kansas
Marian Clinic
Marshall County Board of County Commissioners
St. John's M.B. Church - Salina
Success by 6 Coalition of Douglas County
Thomas County Health Department
Topeka Center for Peace and Justice
True Blue Women
United Methodist Church - Kansas
United School Administrators of Kansas >
Individuals:
Rev. Stephanie Wall Brown
Leadell Ediger
Elaine Edwards
Jennifer R. Gibson
Janine Gracy
Nancy Jorn >
Patricia Joyce
Laura Kaiser
Pat Lacey
Tracie Lansing, LMSW
Larry L. Lee
Father Norbert Lickteig
Diana Pennington
Monica Murnan
Chris Petr
Jennifer Pishny
Diane Purcell
Richard N. Raleigh
Joyce D. Randle
Leola Wong Russell
Saundra Snyder
Holly Turner
Michael J. Wall
Cynthia Menzel
KNEA Communications Director
785-232-8271, ext. 114
kneanews@knea.org
Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Just wanted to get you some good info and some funny stuff to brighten your day.
I'll keep you posted about our next gathering in January, 2006. I have Bumper Stickers available, finally!
The tide is turning, I believe. Now is the time to speak the truth to the uninformed/underinformed. We can make a difference!
Thanks,
Kristin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humor:
With christmas around the corner you can't go wrong with one of these babies!!
http://www.peacecandy.com/gwbush/dishonestdubya/
---------------------------------
Subject: FW: Soldier (Remix)
http://www.americancomedynetwork.com/FLASH/soldiers.htm
---------------------------------
http://www.yeeguy.com/freefall/
Serious:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems like only yesterday, but it was one year ago that BuyBlue launched on December 1, 2004 with our Blue Christmas list of products and services, and the campaign contributions of the companies that make them.
If you are new to BuyBlue, you might be asking yourself what "Blue Christmas" is all about.
Retailers make a significant portion of their yearly sales during the Christmas season. At this time of the year, we have the greatest opportunity to vote for our values with our wallets and have retailers take notice. Last year, many of us did just that, and retailers and news organizations definitely took notice.
Since last Christmas, our volunteer researchers have been hard at work collecting articles on even more companies, filling in their political contributions, and substantiating their ratings under our new categories: Labor and Human Rights, Environment, Employment Equality, Corporate and Social Responsibility, and Industry Practices (read our research methodology). In the past year Buyblue has become a shopping list of sorts and we are striving to make all our data even more accessible.
This year we have put together a list of the companies most deserving of our patronage, based on all the factors we track on our site. The result is the Blue Christmas 2005, a sort of "Editor's List" of products and services we recommend. You can also find information on nearly 500 companies, representing more than 1100 brands and products.
We've put together several print-friendly items to take along when you're shopping this holiday season. You'll find a one-page flyer in both color and black and white versions that you can take with you or share with friends and family. You'll also find a wallet-sized list that you can print from home.
With this list, we hope that you'll be able to put your money where your values are, and vote with your wallets. Please share this list with your loved ones and discuss it with local organizations in which you may be involved. Most importantly, use the list to shop this Christmas season, and let these retailers know why you have chosen to patronize them. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or none of the above we hope you have a safe and enjoyable time with your friends and family this holiday season.
Blue Christmas 2005 Posted by rocketsauce on November 20, 2005 - 9:18pm
Airlines:
Aloha Airlines
Frontier
JetBlue
Southwest
United
Beauty / Grooming / Cosmetics:
BeneFit
Christian Dior
Estee Lauder
Sephora
The Body Shop
Beer / Wine / Spirits:
Boston Beer Co.
Sam Adams
Brown-Forman
Jack Daniel's, Southern Comfort
E&J Gallo
New Belgium
LVMH
Hennessy, Moet & Chandon
Sierra Nevada
Big Box / Superstores:
Costco
Bookstores / CDs / DVDs
Barnes & Noble
Powell's
Candy / Chocolate / Desserts:
Panache- all blue all the time and is locally owned! wwwchocolatekc.com
Lindt's
Cell Phones / Phone Service:
Qualcomm
Working Assets
Clothes:
Burlington Coat Factory
Claire's Stores
Frederick's of Hollywood
Gap
Banana Republic, Old Navy
J. Crew
Levi Strauss
LL Bean
Men's Wearhouse, Inc.
Patagonia
Polo Ralph Lauren
REI
Coffee / Coffee Shops:
Caribou Coffee
Green Mountain Coffee
Peet's
Starbucks
Computers / Electronics:
Apple
Fry's
Gateway
Eyewear
Luxottica
Arnette, Killer Loop, Ray-Ban, Prada, Vogue, DKNY
Fast Food:
Arby's
Panera Bread
Sonic
Subway
Groceries
Trader Joe's
Gyms:
Bally's Total Fitness
Holiday & Gifts:
Lillian Vernon
Yankee Candle
Home & Garden
Bed, Bath & Beyond
Crate & Barrel
IKEA
Hotels:
Best Western
Choice Hotels
Hyatt
Starwood
Jewelry:
Signet
Leather Goods:
Coach
LVMH
Fendi, Etc…
Satellite Radio:
XM
Shoes:
Foot Locker
Reebok
Timberland
Toys / Games / Video Games:
Mattel
Nintendo
BuyBlue.org, a consumer advocacy issues website, is a nonprofit corporation registered in the state of California, with federal 501(c)(3) status pending.
The opinions and viewpoints expressed by the authors here are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BuyBlue.org.
--------------------------------
November 27, 2005 KC Star
Carving Up Our Economic Pie
By Holly Sklar
Pie season is here. Pumpkin, apple, cherry, whatever you like. We can use edible pie charts -- and some chocolate -- to see how our national economic pie is being carved up more unfairly.
Let's look first at income distribution.
Take two pies -- one for 1979, the other for 2003 (using the latest IRS data).
Divide the 1979 pie into 10 equal slices. If the slices were eaten according to the distribution of income in 1979:
-- The richest 1 percent of taxpayers would get one slice.-- The rest of the top 20 percent would get four slices.-- The other 80 percent of taxpayers would split five slices.
Now, divide the 2003 pie into 10 slices.
-- The richest 1 percent would get nearly two slices.-- The rest of the top 20 percent would get a little over four slices.-- The other 80 percent would split four slices.
In 1979, the top 20 percent of taxpayers had about as much income as the other 80 percent combined. In 2003, the top 20 percent had 60 percent of the income, leaving just 40 percent for the rest. The richest 1 percent nearly doubled their share.
Let's look more closely at the upward shift in income.
In 1979, the bottom 40 percent of taxpayers had about 15 percent more combined income than the richest 1 percent. In 2003, the richest 1 percent had twice the income share of the bottom 40 percent.
The richest 1 percent share of reported income jumped from 9.6 percent in 1979 to 17.5 percent in 2003. The bottom 40 percent share fell from 11.3 percent to 8.8 percent.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston puts the growing gap between the very rich and everyone else in stark perspective. He examined the income reported on tax returns of the top 0.01 percent -- about 14,000 households with at least $5.5 million in income.
From 1950 to 1970, for every additional dollar earned by those in the bottom 90 percent, those in the top 0.01 percent earned an additional $162.
From 1990 to 2002, for every additional dollar earned in the bottom 90 percent, those at the top brought in an extra $18,000.
If you are feeling financially down this holiday season, you're not alone. Average workers have been earning less after inflation, not more. Average hourly earnings dropped 5 percent, adjusting for inflation, between 1979 and 2004 -- while domestic corporate profits rose 63 percent.
The share of national income going to wages and salaries is at the lowest level since 1929 -- the year that kicked off the Great Depression. The share going to after-tax corporate profits, which heavily benefit wealthy Americans through increased dividends and capital gains, is at the highest level since 1929.
Income gaps in the workplace have become increasingly outrageous, as seen in the growing gap between worker pay and CEO pay. We can demonstrate it with a pile of chocolate.
Give 1 piece of chocolate to your worker stand-in and 44 pieces to your CEO stand-in. That was the 1980 ratio of average full-time worker pay to average pay among CEOs in Business Week's survey of major corporations.
For the equivalent 2004 ratio, give 1 piece of chocolate to the worker and 362 to the CEO.
As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports, federal policy is contributing "to a further widening of income disparities between the most affluent households and other Americans." Households with incomes over $1 million will receive an average tax cut of $103,000 this year -- an increase of 5.4 percent in their after-tax income.
The congressional majority is done crying crocodile tears over Katrina and the shameful inequality it exposed.
They're working overtime to stiff the have-nots with more budget cuts so they can keep stuffing the pockets of the haves with more tax cuts. The budget knife is dropping on Medicaid, education, child care, food assistance and more-- even public health, despite loud warnings we are unprepared for bird flu and other threats.
Tell your senators and members of Congress what you think about their priorities, and make your voice count when you vote next November.
Holly Sklar is co-author of "Raise the Floor: Wages and Policies That Work for All Of Us" (www.raisethefloor.org). She can be reached at hsklar@aol.com.Copyright (c) 2005 Holly Sklar
--------------------------------
Subject: Women's Health Deserves Science, Not Ideology
Date: November 22, 2005 11:23:24 AM CST
Reply-To: info@hillaryclinton.com
Dear Friends,
I want to give you an update on Hillary's work on behalf of women's health, trying to ensure that decisions about health care are made on the basis of science and not ideology. We have news to report both on emergency contraception and protecting women against cervical cancer.
Plan B Emergency Contraception
Hillary continues to urge the Food and Drug Administration to issue a decision on access to Plan B emergency contraception, as recommended by the FDA's own scientific and professional staff.
Last week, the Government Accountability Office released a study requested by Senators Clinton and Murray in June 2004 on the FDA's failure to make a decision. According to the GAO report, high-level professional staff at the FDA were told by high-level management that this application would be rejected even before the staff had completed their reviews. The decision to make no decision was made by political appointees - not the scientific and professional staff.
"This long-awaited report leaves no question that science was compromised in the FDA's decision making process on Plan B," Senators Clinton and Murray said.
Protecting Women and Girls from Cervical Cancer
Now Hillary has called on Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt to ensure that decisions about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are made on the basis of science - not politics.
Almost 14,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than 3,900 die of the disease.
In her letter to Secretary Leavitt, Hillary wrote:
[R]ecent press reports indicate that certain organizations are beginning to mobilize against the vaccine, arguing - without scientific evidence - that it may encourage sexual activity among youth. ...I too believe our children and the public health at large are best served when young people abstain from sex. But it would be unconscionable to withhold the HPV vaccine, which holds tremendous promise to protect against the devastating disease of cervical cancer, for political or ideological reasons.
Thank you to the thousands who signed our petition supporting Hillary's call to the FDA. We'll continue to keep you informed of her work in this and other issues. And thank you, as always, for being a Friend of Hillary!
Sincerely,
Ann F. Lewis
-------------------------------------
11-9-05 KCStar
ALITO NOMINATION
Abortion ruling tells volumes
ellen goodman
BOSTON — There was a moment in Samuel Alito’s introduction when he tipped his hat to the justice he hopes to succeed.
As a rookie arguing his first case before the Supreme Court, Alito remembered, Sandra Day O’Connor’s first question was a gentle one. “I was grateful to her on that happy occasion,” said Alito, “and I’m particularly honored to be nominated for her seat.”
Alito did not mention the time Justice O’Connor was far less gentle, the day she offered a bruising rebuttal to one of his appeals court opinions. But it’s this head-on collision between Alito and O’Connor that tells you what a difference a justice makes.
It tells you as well why anti-abortion conservatives, who never cottoned up to the “umpire” John Roberts, call this appointment a “grand slam home run.” It tells you why a giddy right-wing Web site, confirmthem.com, is posting the lyrics of a love song, “Alito,” to the tune of “Maria.”
The collision came over Alito’s opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case that is becoming the most famous entry in his dossier. The Pennsylvania Legislature had written a slew of restrictions on abortion. But when the law reached the 3rd Circuit appeals court, Alito was the only member who upheld the requirement that a woman must tell her husband before she had an abortion.
Alito argued that most women told their husbands anyway. He brushed aside the idea that this requirement would be a burden on women with abusive husbands. With a wink, a nod, and a footnote, he even implied that the law would be easy to get around, “difficult to enforce and easy to evade.”
The day the case was heard by the Supreme Court, O’Connor cut straight to the heart of the mandated marital talk. If a state could require a woman to notify her husband, she asked, why not her boyfriend or any other man? If a woman had to notify a man before an abortion, could she also be forced to notify a man before intercourse? Could the state do that? Where exactly did a woman’s rights end and state rule begin?
The Supreme Court turned out to be far more sensitive to domestic abuse than Alito. “Should these women become pregnant, they may have very good reasons for not wishing to inform their husbands of their decision to obtain an abortion,” wrote the majority.
But O’Connor understood instinctively the relationship between a woman’s right to decide and her individual liberty. The opinion she wrote with Justices Kennedy and Souter said that “the liberty of the woman is at stake in a sense unique to the human condition, and so, unique to the law. ... The destiny of the woman must be shaped to a large extent on her own conception of her spiritual imperatives and her place in society.” The right to abortion itself was upheld 5-4 in Casey. The power of the state to force a marital conversation was denied. It doesn’t take a genius to see what would have happened with Alito in O’Connor’s seat. Nor does it take a crystal ball to see how far — back — a right-wing court can take us.
For most of history, wives were owned by husbands who controlled all their critical life decisions. Their wages, their property, their bodies all belonged to their husbands. Legal history shows women gradually gaining their rights as separate individuals, including reproductive rights. Some men protest that they are left with no rights and all the bills. But when push comes to shove, one of two people has to make the decision. Those decisions belong to the one who will bear the child.
There will be other telltale pages on Alito’s paper trail. But we know what Alito’s 90-year-old mother knows: “Of course he’s against abortion.”
There will be other telltale moments in this presidency, but we now know what happens when the right wing holds a weakened Bush in a vise grip. This is how far we can go.
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11-8-05 KCS
AMERICAN GIRL BOYCOTT
Groups pick a fight with a doll over messages to girls
By Mary Sanchez The Kansas City Star
Josefina arrived with a $100 price tag. Admittedly a lot for a doll, even one with cool accessories.
Bought as a gift for nieces, Josefina is now the subject of an anti-abortion boycott by the American Family Association and the Pro-Life Action League. The tale of how a doll is causing such angst is one of tangents and missed implications.
Josefina replicates a New Mexico girl from 1824. She came with tiny earrings, leather moccasins and books about her adventures, in English and Spanish.
The doll was a gift of girl power. Josefina’s story is how she learns to accept her mother’s death and move on gracefully with her life. She was money well spent.
Preteens at the time, my nieces were soon to be bombarded with messages to be impossibly thin, to look like actresses whose imperfections are airbrushed away for magazine covers.
Josefina is part of a historically accurate line of dolls in the American Girl collection.
American Girl drew flak when it linked with Girls Inc., formerly Girls Clubs of America. The company is donating to Girls Inc. some proceeds from plastic wristlets with the motto “I Can.” As in, “I can be myself, follow my dreams and always do my best.”
The $1 wristlets are the sort of jewelry little girls love. They also subtlety speak about achievement and living well alongside others.
The 141-year-old Girls Inc. serves mostly African-American and Latino girls from impoverished backgrounds. Programming focuses on encouraging math and science, athletics, self-respect and leadership skills.
Girls Inc.’s motto: “Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold.”
It is hard to argue with that, especially given that the organization works with girls from households of less than $25,000. These girls have to be strong, smart and bold just to make it through the day. So what is so objectionable about Girls Inc. and by association, American Girl?
Girls Inc. has been labeled pro-abortion and condoning lesbianism.
True, the organization recognizes that some young women will struggle with the issue of sexual orientation, and that part of being a young woman is deciding what to do with your body sexually.
Never mind that Girls Inc. also stresses abstinence as the first choice for young people, that family is the primary source of information about sexuality. Girls Inc. doesn’t preach. It doesn’t fume that one religious belief is right for all.
Both sides of this debate say they want to support young women. Both sides honestly try.
But American Family Association and Pro-Life Action League seem to take a different route. Their well-intentioned lessons seem to be about telling young women what not to do. What not to think, what not to do with their lives.
Girls Inc., by comparison, is a more empowering voice. Girls Inc. believes young women can make good choices when given solid support.
The fact that contraception and the legality of abortion are acknowledged by Girls Inc. was termed “a deal breaker,” by John Jensen, co-director of Pro-Life Action League’s youth outreach division. “It does discount all of the other good that they do,” he said.
The truth is the self-esteem building programs of Girls Inc. have likely kept many girls from becoming pregnant before they were in stable marriages and able to emotionally and financially support a child.
With so many sexist and damaging images for young girls in the public realm, why focus on one thread in an organization that is doing so much good?
The ethical dilemma is like some of the tough choices the American Girl doll collection has its characters face. Maybe another doll is needed. One that could teach these realities:
Strident stands come with responsibility. There is the responsibility to think through the long-term implications of your actions, the responsibility to respectfully hear the thoughts of others, even when you disagree. And finally, make sure your beliefs do not inadvertently harm others while making a point for yourself.
Such a doll would be worth her weight in gold right now.
------------------------------------------
November 7, 2005
Op-Ed Columnist
And the War Goes On
By BOB HERBERT
The coalition of the clueless that launched the tragically misguided war in Iraq is in complete disarray.
Dick Cheney is simultaneously running from questions about his role in the Valerie Wilson affair and fighting like mad to block any measure that would outlaw torture by the C.I.A. His former top aide, Scooter Libby, one of the original Iraq war zealots, is now an accused felon who is seldom seen in public unaccompanied by defense counsel.
Donald Rumsfeld, the high-strutting, high-profile defense secretary who was supposed to win this war in a walk, is suddenly on the down-low. There are people in the witness protection program who are easier to find than Rummy.
As for the president, he went all the way to South America to get away from the Washington heat. But even within the luxurious confines of Air Force One, Mr. Bush found that he couldn't escape the increasingly corrosive effect of the fiascos plaguing his administration.
The ominous news of the president's plummeting approval ratings followed him like a dark cloud. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that Mr. Bush has never been less popular with the public. On nearly every important measure of character and performance, he was given lower marks than ever before. For the first time, according to the poll, a majority of Americans even questioned the president's integrity. And fully 55 percent of respondents to a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll said they believe the Bush administration has been a failure.
The fact that Mr. Bush is struggling in his own political purgatory (for the sin of incompetence) is bad news for the soldiers in Iraq, where the suffering and dying continues unabated. The administration that was so anxious to throw scores of thousands of healthy young Americans into the flames of war now has no idea how to get them out.
Troops are being sent into Iraq for two, three, even four combat tours by an administration in which clowns like Scooter Libby and Karl Rove were playing games with the identity of a C.I.A. agent, and the vice president has been obsessed with his twisted protect-the-torturers campaign.
Now the Bush crew, which should be focused like a laser on what to do about the war, is consumed with damage control - pumping up the poll numbers, defending its handling of prewar intelligence, fending off further indictments and staying out of prison.
The war? There's no plan for the war. The architects of this war had no idea what they were getting into, and they are just as clueless now. The war just goes on and on, which is not just tragic - it's criminal.
Opposition to the war may be mounting. But the reality of the war, especially the toll of American dead and wounded, fades in and out of the public's consciousness.
There was a rush of articles a couple of weeks ago when the number of deaths of Americans serving in Iraq reached 2,000. But those stories were quickly superseded by Harriet Miers's withdrawal of her nomination to the Supreme Court; President Bush's selection of Samuel Alito to take her place; the indictment of Mr. Libby; the president's address to the nation on the possibility of a bird flu pandemic and so on.
The killing of G.I.'s in Iraq once again took its place as a relatively minor story, meriting in most cases just a brief mention on the inside pages of the major newspapers, and the most cursory coverage on television newscasts.
The death toll has now reached at least 2,035 and, of course, it is climbing. More than 15,000 G.I.'s have been wounded in action. Limbs have been lost. Men and women have been permanently paralyzed, horribly burned, or blinded. Thousands more have been injured in nonhostile incidents, such as accidents, and many have fallen ill.
If the American public could see the carnage in Iraq the way television viewers saw the agony of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this war would be over. A solution would be found. Imagine watching a couple of soldiers in flames, screaming, as they attempt to escape the burning wreckage of a vehicle hit by a roadside bomb or a rocket-propelled grenade.
For all the talk, neither the administration nor the public has taken the reality of this war seriously enough to do something about it. If the sons and daughters of the privileged were fighting it, we'd be out of Iraq soon enough. But they're not fighting it.
So the war goes on and on.
Local (KC):------------------------------------------------------------
(There are lots more details that I couldn't get on this page because it's in PDF format. Please check the website or call Michele if you're interested. Kristin)
Campaign internships are available (both paid and class credit) beginning in January working for KC area PACs and candidate political campaigns. More information is contained in the attached document. Please forward this message to anyone you know who is looking for or has students looking for internship placements. Thanks!
Michele Lahr
Meridian Strategies, LLC
4338 Rockhill Rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
816/931-1005
www.meridianstrat.com
"Memories of our lives, of our works, and our deeds will continue in others. ~ Rosa Parks
---------------------------------------
An Invitation To friends and supporters To join me at a reception and introduction as I begin my campaign For the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006.
WHEN: Monday December 5, 2005
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: RJ’s Bob-Be-Que Shack
5835 Lamar Ave.
Corner of Johnson Drive and Lamar in Mission Kansas
WHAT: Introduction to House Candidate Cydney Rabourn. There will be wine samplings from one of Kansas’s well-known local wineries.
Supporters are asked to bring a suggested contribution of $25.00.
Please share this invitation and bring along others who would like to be a part of the campaign!
RSVP: 913-626-4668
I look forward to seeing you there!
Sincerely,
Cydney
---------------------------------
Stacey Newman
Executive Director
Missouri Women's Coalition
6340 Clayton Rd #206 St. Louis MO 63117
314.494.4399
314.781.7706 fax
snewman@missouriwomenscoalition.com
www.missouriwomenscoalition.com
ACTION UPDATE
November 18, 2005
Our First Success!
The first press conference by the Coalition Against the “War on Women” was held Wednesday, November 9 at the Salad Bowl Restaurant in St. Louis. Our media coverage: Post-Dispatch article and Political Fix blog report (11.10)and KPLR news coverage (both 11.09 and 11.10). Both KMOV-TV and KTRS-AM also covered the event.
We thank our speakers: Anna Shabsin, mother of two from Clayton; and Jean Dugan, mother of two from Webster Groves; Dr. Steven Plax, a prominent retired pediatrician; Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation; Michelle Kimball of NARAL Prochoice Missouri; Paula Gianino of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region; and Stacey Newman, director of the Missouri Women’s Coalition.
Additional media this week:
Missouri Baptist Convention Pathway (published biweekly)
Missouri Baptist women respond to attack on governer by pro-abortion feminist groups - http://www.mbcpathway.com/otherstories/-1999920591/-1999114284.htm
Columbia Missourian
Blunt faces fights over birth control restriction - The Coalition Against the War on Women is working to keep the morning-after pill available without a prescription http://digmo.org/news/story.php?ID=17134
What is Next?
Our coalition is continuing to grow (see below). If you know of any group that would like to sign on with us, please notify
snewman@missouriwomenscoalition.com.
We are also continuing to add those in the medical community (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others) to our medical statement (see below). As of the press conference, we had 15 signed on. If you can refer us to a supportive medical professional, again please notify snewman@missouriwomenscoalition.com
3. The Plan B mess is garnering national news this week with an investigation begun by the Government Accountability Office into the unlawful political shenanigans by the Food and Drug Administration whether to approve Plan B for over-the-counter sales. We have asked Congressmen Russ Carnahan and Lacy Clay, Jr. to sign on to the efforts begun by Rep. Henry Waxman to expose the FDA.
Coalition Members:
Change for Missouri (DFA), Coalition of Labor Union Women, St. Louis Chapter; College Democrats of University of Missouri – KC, Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Missouri Women's Coalition, Missouri Women's Network, NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, National Council of Jewish Women, St. Louis; National Women's Political Caucus of St. Louis, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region - Republicans for Choice Committee, St. Charles Democratic Alliance, St. Louis N.O.W., West County Democrats, and Women's Voices Raised for Social Justice
Medical Statement:
STATEMENT FROM MEDICAL COMMUNITY OPPOSING GOVERNOR BLUNT'S ATTACK ON BIRTH CONTROL
We the undersigned as physicians, registered nurses and pharmacists find Governor Blunt's recent attacks on birth control, specifically emergency contraception, to be dangerous to women's health in Missouri.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 26, 2005, "Governor Matt Blunt promised Tuesday (October 25, 2005) to press for a state law allowing pharmacists to refuse to file prescriptions for the "morning after pill," known as Plan B, as part of his effort "to stand up for the sanctity of life"...Blunt is now focusing on the morning-after pill because of contentions that it can halt an early pregnancy."
Governor Blunt is proposing legislation that would prevent many women from accessing safe, legal and effective birth control. This legislation is not only bad for women's health in Missouri, it is also based on faulty information.
Governor Blunt asserts that the morning-after pill, more accurately known as emergency contraception as it works for up to 120 hours after intercourse, "can halt an early pregnancy". In fact, the only contraindication for emergency contraception IS pregnancy. In other words, it will not work if a woman is pregnant. In fact, it will not harm an established pregnancy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stated that Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy.
According to the FDA:
"Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. Plan B acts primarily by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). It may prevent the union of sperm and egg (fertilization). If fertilization does occur, Plan B may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation). If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work.
Emergency contraception is a method of preventing pregnancy to be used after a contraceptive fails or after unprotected sex. It is not for routine use. Drugs used for this purpose are called emergency contraceptive pills, post-coital pills, or morning after pills. Emergency contraceptives contain hormones estrogen and progestin (levonorgestrel), either separately or in combination. FDA has approved two products for prescription use for emergency contraception -- Preven (approved in 1998) and Plan B (approved in 1999).
Plan B is emergency contraception, a backup method to birth control. Plan B contains only progestin, levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone used in birth control pills for over 35 years. It is currently available only by prescription."
As members of the medical community, we understand that misinforming the public in regard to any prescription medicine is inexcusable. We believe that Governor Blunt, who does not have a medical degree, should stop publicly insinuating that Plan B and other emergency contraceptives are anything other than what they are: birth control.
Furthermore, we fully support women's timely and unhindered access to Plan B and other emergency contraceptives which, like all birth control, greatly reduce unintended pregnancies.
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November 18, 2005
It has been a busy week for the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures! On Monday, the Missouri Secretary of State officially certified the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, providing approval for us to gather the voter signatures needed to place the Initiative on the November 2006 statewide ballot. On Wednesday, the Lance Armstrong Foundation officially endorsed the Initiative and joined as a member of our Coalition. And, today we began a statewide television advertising campaign to inform voters about the Initiative and to support the signature gathering effort.
Missouri Stem Cell Initiative Certified and Official Summary Provided
Now that the Secretary of State has approved the Stem Cell Initiative for signature gathering, we plan to begin our signature gathering effort soon. We need to collect about 150,000 voter signatures by May to place the initiative on next year’s November ballot. The Secretary of State also issued the official summary of the Initiative that voters will see on the ballot. You can view the summary online at http://www.missouricures.com/rel_111505.php.
Our signature gathering effort will use both volunteer and paid signature gatherers, under the direction of a professional firm. We expect to begin this effort in December. If you think you would like to get involved in gathering signatures, please call us at 1-800-829-4133 for more information.
MCLC Begins Airing TV Ads
The Coalition began airing two television ads today to inform voters about the Stem Cell Initiative and to support the signature gathering effort. One features former Sen. John Danforth, an Honorary Co-Chair of our Coalition and an Episcopal Minister. In his spot, Sen. Danforth explains why he supports the Initiative, based on his pro-life views and voting record. “My entire political career I voted pro-life, and that is exactly why I favor the Stem Cell Initiative,” Danforth says. “I believe in saving human life. I want cures to be found, and I want the scientists, the physicians, who are here in our state of Missouri to participate in finding these cures. Please join me in supporting the Stem Cell Initiative.”
The second Coalition TV spot explains why the Initiative is needed and what it does, and notes that it is supported by many major patient and medical organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, the Christopher Reeve Foundation, the Parkinson’s Action Network, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City and Washington University in St. Louis.
Both ads can be viewed on our website at www.MissouriCures.com.
How You Can Help
At this point, there are several simple things you can do to help our efforts to protect stem cell research and cures in Missouri. Urge your friends, neighbors and colleagues to join up as a member of our growing Coalition by filling out our online member form at http://www.missouricures.com/join.php. You can also help by urging them to sign our petition when they see one of our signature gatherers in their community. And, of course, please sign a petition yourself when you get a chance. Our signature gatherers will be going to different areas of the state in the months ahead and will not be everywhere at once, so please be patient and sign a petition when they get to your area.
In the meantime, we hope you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving! And, thanks again for your support.
This voter information authorized and paid for by the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Sandra Aust, Treasurer
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Coalition for a Prosperous Kansas News Statement
November 2, 2005
Voters say NO because TABOR is BAD idea!
Voters of Colorado decided to suspend the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
The fact that the only state that actually has to live under TABOR just voted to suspend it should send an important message to Kansans.
TABOR has been such a crippling straightjacket on Colorado that Governor Bill Owens, a major proponent of TABOR, begged the taxpayers to suspend it. The vote on Tuesday is a dramatic demonstration of the failure of putting tax and spending policy in the constitution. The citizens of Colorado have demonstrated at the ballot box that TABOR is a failed policy.
Kansas legislators should look closely at how much damage TABOR did when it came to protecting the real priorities of the people of Colorado. We need to focus on the real problems in our state and invest in the services we all depend on like quality schools for our children, health care for the elderly in nursing homes, and infrastructure needs such as highways, roads and bridges.
Let's ask ourselves a few questions:
* Are we ready for our children to face larger class sizes and less attention from teachers?
* Should we ask our high school graduates to abandon their college dreams?
* Are we willing to risk driving on deteriorating roads and bridges?
* Is it a good idea to endanger our state's ability to compete economically on the national and global stage?
* Do we want to jeopardize our public safety systems and correctional facilities?
TABOR has been bad for Colorado; it would be bad for Kansas. Let's learn from the experience.
Contacts:
Mark Desetti, Kansas NEA 785-232-8271; mark.desetti@knea.org
Jim Edwards, Kansas Association of School Boards 785-273-3600; jedwards@kasb.org
Brooke Tourtellot, Kansas Action for Children 785-232-0550; brooke@kac.org
The formation of the Coalition for a Prosperous Kansas was announced on September 27, 2005 at press conferences in Topeka and Wichita.
In order to ensure that Kansas maintains and improves the quality of life for all Kansans, the Coalition for a Prosperous Kansas will oppose measures that take away from elected state and local officials the authority to raise the revenues needed to support the legitimate functions of government. The Coalition will work to prevent enactment of legislation designed to place in Kansas statutes or the Kansas Constitution any such limitations, including a so-called taxpayers' bill of rights (TABOR) and measures requiring a super-majority vote of the legislature.
A listing of Coalition members is below:
Organizations:
AARP - Kansas
Big Tent Coalition
Butler County Democrat Central Committee
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas
Communities In Schools of Kansas
East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Cooperation
GraceMed Health Clinic, Inc.
Independence, Inc.
Inter-Faith Ministries
Kansas Action for Children
Kansas Action Network
Kansas AFL-CIO
Kansas American Academy of Pediatricians
Kansas Association for the Education of Young Children
Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved
Kansas Association of Local Health Departments
Kansas Association of Public Employees
Kansas Association of School Boards
Kansas Chapter, National Association of Social Workers
Kansas Contractors
Kansas Early Education Partners
Kansas Families United for Public Education
Kansas Headstart Association
Kansas Health Consumers Coalition
Kansas National Education Association
Kansas Parents-Teachers Association
League of Women Voters of Kansas
Marian Clinic
Marshall County Board of County Commissioners
St. John's M.B. Church - Salina
Success by 6 Coalition of Douglas County
Thomas County Health Department
Topeka Center for Peace and Justice
True Blue Women
United Methodist Church - Kansas
United School Administrators of Kansas >
Individuals:
Rev. Stephanie Wall Brown
Leadell Ediger
Elaine Edwards
Jennifer R. Gibson
Janine Gracy
Nancy Jorn >
Patricia Joyce
Laura Kaiser
Pat Lacey
Tracie Lansing, LMSW
Larry L. Lee
Father Norbert Lickteig
Diana Pennington
Monica Murnan
Chris Petr
Jennifer Pishny
Diane Purcell
Richard N. Raleigh
Joyce D. Randle
Leola Wong Russell
Saundra Snyder
Holly Turner
Michael J. Wall
Cynthia Menzel
KNEA Communications Director
785-232-8271, ext. 114
kneanews@knea.org
