Various Items......

Well, I went to a high school graduation in the heart of Republicans country in very white skinned Ohio. And the class president said that she learned in high school that Democrats are smarter than Republicans. That rather made my evening, but I hope she figures out soon that a lot of Democrats are just like Republicans, which is a large part of the reason that we are in the mess we are in. The graduation was fun. My sister has too much food at her house, and very slow internet! Anyway, here are some recent items:

MOVE ON PETITION

I have had some reservations about Move On – they seemed very slow to pick up the anti-war theme, but this is a worthwhile issue – we need to have internet for the people, not for the corporations. Move On is good for getting people out there on the street and for getting people active. So, I recommend signing up with them, because there is power in numbers. And they have a new petition – about the internet. Here’s the info:

The federal government is on the verge of turning over a huge portion of our public airwaves to companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast--who will use them for private enrichment instead of the public good. These newly available airwaves are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize Internet access -- beaming high-speed signals to every park bench, coffee shop, workplace, and home in America. Phone and cable companies don't want this competition to their Internet service--they'd rather purchase the airwaves at auction and sit on them. You can sign the petition I signed here - urging the government to make sure the public airwaves are used for the public good - click link HERE.

Thanks!

And, in the state of North Carolina, we have a bunch of people working on stopping torture flights out of Johnston County airport. I did a blog post on that, but I have limited internet, so I will let you dig for it….. but, meanwhile: Stop Torture Bill Survives in the NC House. Here’s the message:

Our bill to stop torture in North Carolina, HB 1682, hit a snag on the House floor when Representative Stam (R.) tried to refer it to JI committee to kill the bill. Because of his move, one of the bill sponsors, Representative Luebke, pulled the bill from the calendar and referred it to the Rules Committee where we hope to have it included in a list of bills which the Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission will study , and the bill will be presented again in 2008 . In this way, Rep. Luebke(D.) kept the bill alive. (Apparently some members of the General Assembly think torture is OK.)

AND: Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice

On Tuesday, June 26^th, the ACLU is sponsoring a Day of Action in Washington D.C. to call on Congress to restore habeas corpus, fix the Military Commissions Act, and restore our constitutional rights. The event will include a rally outside the Capitol and meetings with members of Congress. Join other ACLU members from North Carolina as we bring this urgent message directly to our representatives in Washington! For more information and to sign up for the event, visit the Day of Action website. The ACLU will be sponsoring a free bus to DC that will pick members up in Raleigh on Monday, June 25th and return to Raleigh the evening of June 26th. Look for detailed updates on travel, lodging and itinerary for the Day of Action in future action alerts.

And one last item: Mad at Congress? Take the Iraq Vote Pledge

Are you mad at Congress for surrendering to George Bush over the Iraq Supplemental? So are we - and we're determined to do something about it. Together, we have spent the past six months doing everything in our power to persuade the new Democratic Congress to end the disastrous Iraq War. But even though a majority of Democrats (including Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid) want to set a timetable for withdrawal, Republicans are marching in lockstep behind Bush along with a crucial minority of "Bush Democrats." So what can we do? Let's put them on notice that we will defeat all pro-war Republicans next November, and replace "Bush Democrats" with progressive Democrats in next year's primaries. Take the Iraq Vote Pledge:

"I pledge to vote against every Senator and Representative who approves funding to continue the disastrous Iraq War. We have already given far too much of our blood and treasure - and killed far too many Iraqis - for a war based on lies. We are now occupying a hostile nation divided by civil war for the benefit of military contractors and Big Oil. The only way to support our troops is to bring them home NOW, and no funds should be used for any other purpose. If Congress fails to bring our troops home, I will do everything I can - and urge everyone I know - to defeat pro-war Senators and Representatives, both in my party's primary elections and in the November general election."

Sign .it here.

Read about our plan to support anti-war Democrats in primaries.

That's all for now!