1) From The True Majority: Please call your Senators to tell them the
debate on Iraq is over; bring the troops home; and demand a report on
our actions toward Al Qaeda. SEE BELOW
2) Emily West argues that the flaws of Massachusetts' health care
legislation prove that the single-payer plan is best nationally. SEE
BELOW
3) Zee Source offers all sorts of information on Bush's mind. SEE BELOW
4) A TOWN HALL MEETING: "IS IMPEACHMENT NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE
CONSTITUTION?" in NYC Sunday March 9 at 4 pm with Bruce Fein,
Elizabeth Holtzman, and Scott Horton, speakers; Congressman Jerrold
Nadler, invited speaker March in My Name's John Nirenberg, special guest SEE DETAILS BELOW
5) from jes_richardson@...: Leslie Angeline Needs Help: See Below
___
1) From The True Majority: Please call your Senators to tell them the
debate on Iraq is over; bring the troops home; and demand a report on
our actions toward Al Qaeda.
Tell your Senators: There's nothing left to debate. Bring our troops home!
Tomorrow, the Senate will decide whether or not two bills that would
end the President's failed strategy in Iraq should make it to the
floor for a vote. Both bills were introduced by Senator Russ Feingold
of Wisconsin.
The first bill, S. 2633, would provide for the safe redeployment of US
troops from Iraq within 120 days. And the second bill, S. 2634, would
require a report on the global strategy of the US to combat and defeat
al Qaeda. We need 60 votes to end debate and bring these important
pieces of legislation to the Senate floor.
Tell your Senators: There's nothing left to debate. Bring our troops home!
http://act.truemajorityaction.org/t/50/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1521
The war in Iraq has already cost us thousands of lives, billions of
dollars and has arguably put us in greater danger than ever before.
There's no debating the President's failed strategy in Iraq. It's time
to bring the troops home. Tell your Senators to allow a vote on these
two important measures today.
It's time,
Darcy Scott Martin
TrueMajority.org Washington Director
__
2) Emily West argues that the flaws of Massachusetts' health care
legislation prove that the single-payer plan is best nationally:
Dear Friends, Political Assoc. & Family (who are not residing in Massachusetts),
This article in the Washington Post says it fairly well, although an
abbreviated version. It could re-emphasize the fact that the
Massachusetts law is effectively a boon for the health insurance
companies, which do not pay for many of the services needed and
overcharge for what they do include, due to their huge overhead and
built-in profit margins.
Simple Question Defines Complex Health Debate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/23/AR2008022302026.\
html?wpisrc=newsletter&sid=ST2008022302650
A Single-Payer System provided and regulated by the government would
probably solve our problem, making it affordable, as the bureaucratic
system would be one unit, not the thousands of insurance companies
that now exist. Forcing people to buy insurance they cannot afford, as
Barak Obama has indicated, and which will not cover all that is
needed, is not the answer – it simply adds to the problem.
Natural medicine is one issue which is being over-looked as well. The
insurance companies are tied in with the pharmaceutical companies and
the allopaths. Natural healthcare also needs to be included in the
discussion as well, if we are truly going to make healthcare
effective. (I, for example, have avoided buying health insurance
because I generally do not use allopathic medicine and so it would
have been a huge waste of my income – and a double charge for my
family's care. I'm presently paying into a state healthcare system
that I cannot use, however it's about half the cost of what they would
require of me here in MA, had I not been given this "opportunity" for
a state subsidized group system, but a little more than the fine that
would have been imposed on me had I not had this "opportunity.")
Also, the term "universal," has been co-opted by Clinton (taken from
Conyers and twisted to fit the corporate agenda) to attempt to
convince us that she wants everyone to be "protected" but in fact she
has redefined the term and from where I stand appears to be supporting
the corporate machine in the medical and pharmaceutical industries,
i.e. wasting huge lots of funding and leaving many services and people
out of the conversation entirely. This irony is even more disturbing
given the Clinton history of Hillary's original push for national
healthcare back in the 90s which she conspicuously dropped. She
appears to have gone 180 degrees in the other direction. I find this
national amnesia on the topic of her "forgotten" healthcare reform
somewhat shocking.
Being punished financially is the lowest blow. Those who cannot
afford these services (and don't forget that many may not even be able
to use them) would be heavily fined with Clinton's plan. How does this
help the situation? As a resident of Massachusetts, the first to force
people to buy insurance despite all these previously described
impediments, I can tell you first hand that this mandate is not
working.
What *has* worked in Massachusetts in the past, was a state
subsidized healthcare system for children under the age of 18, called
MassHealth – a single-payer type system. For my youngest daughter, for
example, we paid $12 per month for full coverage for allopathic
(modern) medicine. No wonder Romney wanted to obliterate this system –
it was cheap and it was working. My guess is the "corporate machine"
issued the orders for this backroom deal implemented not by the people
of Massachusetts but by Romney and the Mass state government itself
and for which the details were made public only two days before the
legislature voted on it.
Let's not make this mistake on a national scale.
Thanks for considering this national reality,
Emily
__
3) Zee Source offers all sorts of information on Bush's mind.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23319215/
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/23/bush.iraq/
http://tinyurl.com/2x89um
http://www.votenader.org/index.html
http://www.preemptivekarma.com/archives/2008/01/orwellian_liars.html
FINGER on the NUCLEAR Button
Bush on the Couch Rev Ed: Inside the Mind of the President by Justin
A. Frank MD
http://www.amazon.com/Bush-Couch-Rev-Ed-President/dp/006143065X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_on_the_Couch
http://tinyurl.com/yvc2yo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crimes In clinical psychology and
psychiatry, an unrealistic, exaggerated, or rigidly held sense of
entitlement may be considered a symptom of Narcissistic Personality
Disorder.
Bush & neocon CO (and now M CAIN out of an inferiority complex feel
entitled to BULLY, torture -
... such is counter productive, makes enemies, gets false results,
benefits NO one. Slaying Abel
was the prototype. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International
Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others through
verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of
coercion
such as manipulation. Bullying can be determined in many different
ways, although the UK currently has no legal definition of bullying, [1]
some US states have laws against it. [2] In colloquial speech,
bullying often describes
a form of harassment perpetrated by an abuser who possesses more
physical and/or social power and dominance than the victim. The victim
of bullying is sometimes referred to as a target. The harassment can
be verbal, physical and/or emotional.
Many programs have been started to prevent bullying at schools with
promotional speakers.
Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus defines bullying as when a person is
"exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of
one or more other persons." He defines negative action as "when a
person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another
person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways."[3]
Bullying can occur in any setting where human beings interact with
each other. This includes school, religious community, the workplace,
home and neighborhoods. Bullying can exist between social groups,
social classes and even between countries (see Jingoism).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying Torture, according to the United
Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain
or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted
on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person
information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third
person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or
intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason
based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is
inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or
acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an
official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only
from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions."[2] In addition
to state-sponsored torture, individuals or groups may inflict torture
on others; however, the motive for torture can also be for the
sadistic gratification of the torturer, as was the case in the Moors
Murders.
Torture is prohibited under international law and the domestic laws of
most countries; however, Amnesty International estimates that 75% of
the world's governments currently practice torture. [3]
Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of
effecting political re-education. In the 21st century, torture is
widely considered to be a violation of human rights, and is declared
to be unacceptable by Article 5 of the United Nations Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. In times of war, signatories of the Third
Geneva Convention and Fourth Geneva Convention agree not to torture
protected persons (POWs and enemy civilians) in armed conflicts.
International legal prohibitions on torture derive from a
philosophical consensus that torture and ill-treatment are immoral.[4]
These international conventions and philosophical propositions not
withstanding, organizations such as Amnesty International that monitor
abuses of human rights report a widespread use of torture condoned by
states in many regions of the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International Amnesty
International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international
non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to
undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending abuses
of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience
and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of
its work to promote all human rights."[1] Founded in theUK in 1961, AI
draws its attention to human rights abuses and campaigns for
compliance with international standards. It works to mobilize public
opinion which exerts pressure on individuals who perpetrate abuses.[2]
The organization has been recognized as a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
for its work and was awarded the UN Human Rights Prize
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferiority_complex An inferiority
complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling
that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise
from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. It is
often subconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to
overcompensate, resulting either in spectacular achievement or extreme
antisocial behavior, or both. Unlike a normal feeling of inferiority,
which can act as an incentive for achievement, an inferiority complex
is an advanced state of discouragement, often resulting in a retreat
from difficulties.
Early work in this field was pioneered by Alfred Adler, who used the
example of Napoleon complexes to illustrate his theory. Some
sociologists have proposed that an inferiority complex can also exist
at a wider level, affecting entire cultures. This theory, which is
controversial, is known as cultural cringe.
Classical Adlerian psychology makes a distinction between primary and
secondary inferiority feelings. A primary inferiority feeling is said
to be rooted in the young child's original experience of weakness,
helplessness and dependency. It can then be intensified by comparisons
to older siblings and adults. A secondary inferiority feeling relates
to an adult's experience of being unable to reach an unconscious,
fictional final goal of subjective security and success to compensate
for the inferiority feelings. The perceived distance from that goal
would lead to a "minus" feeling that could then prompt the recall of
the original inferiority feeling; this composite of inferiority
feelings could be experienced as overwhelming. The goal invented to
relieve the original, primary feeling of inferiority which actually
causes the secondary feeling of inferiority is the "catch-22" of this
dilemma. This vicious circle is common in neurotic lifestyles."
unquotes, excerpts
FOR CASE STUDIES:
study says Bush made 232 false statements about Iraq and former
leader Saddam Hussein's possessing weapons of mass destruction, and 28
false statements about Iraq's links to al Qaeda.
The study, released Tuesday, says Powell had the second-highest number
of false statements, with 244 about weapons and 10 about Iraq and al
Qaeda.
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Press Secretary Ari
Fleischer each made 109 false statements, it says. Deputy Defense
Secretary Paul Wolfowitz made 85, Rice made 56, Cheney made 48 and
Scott McLellan, also a press secretary, made 14, the study says."
http://www.preemptivekarma.com/archives/2008/01/orwellian_liars.html
__
4) A TOWN HALL MEETING: "IS IMPEACHMENT NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE
CONSTITUTION?" in NYC Sunday March 9 at 4 pm with
Bruce Fein, Elizabeth Holtzman, and Scott Horton, speakers
Congressman Jerrold Nadler, invited speaker
March in My Name's John Nirenberg, special guest
In response to the increasing awareness of a constitutional crisis in
America, concerned citizens have scheduled A TOWN HALL MEETING: "Is
Impeachment Necessary to Protect The Constitution?" to take place on
Sunday, March 9th at 4 P.M. at the historic Judson Memorial Church, 55
Washington Square South, New York City.
The program will feature Bruce Fein, Constitutional scholar, former
associate deputy attorney general, and Chairman of the American
Freedom Agenda; Elizabeth Holtzman, a member of the House Judiciary
Committee during the impeachment of Richard Nixon, and co-author of
The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned
Citizens; and Scott Horton, contributor to Harper's Magazine and
attorney specializing in international and human rights law.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY 8th CD) chair of the House Judiciary's
Subcommittee on The Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has
been invited to speak to the question.
John Nirenberg, a retired college professor from Vermont who walked
485 miles from Boston to Washington, DC to raise the question of
impeachment to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will be a special
guest.
Following the remarks from the speakers, questions will be taken from
the audience.
Admission is free. For further information call 212-340-9548
AskNadler2Impeach.org
Town Hall Meeting with support from
Village Independent Democrats, Democracy for NYC, Progressive
Democrats of New York CD 14, and Chelsea Reform Democratic Club.
_____
5) from jes_richardson@...: Leslie Angeline Needs Help
Dear Friends,
Today is the 21st day of Leslie's Hungry for Justice? Impeach him
FAST! to pressure Congressman John Conyers and the House Judiciary
Committee to begin impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick
Cheney. 400 people from Vancouver, Washington to Kennebunkport,
Maine, have joined the fast, with more signing on every day.
Unfortunately, Leslie's not feeling well. Last summer she was taken to
the hospital for dehydration during her Lieberman fast and at the time
she promised her son she would end her fasts before jeopardizing her
health. We don't want to lose the momentum established over these
past three weeks, so we're asking for your help. She would like to
ceremoniously break bread in Congressman Conyers' office to end her
fast and then pass on the leadership role to a successor. This person
would continue the fast and visit Conyers' and other Judiciary
Members' offices until the next successor takes over, and so on, and
so on ... until Congressman Conyers begins impeachment hearings. If
you would like to take on a leadership role for the fast, please let
us know. If you can't come to DC, but you still want to participate
in the fast for a day or longer, please sign up here:
http://codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=3974.
The fast coincides with an exciting new development in New Hampshire,
where the state legislature began hearings on House Resolution 24,
calling for impeachment proceedings against Bush and Cheney. The
hearings have been spearheaded by Representative Betty Hall, a 14-term
legislator. If the impeachment resolution passes, New Hampshire would
join the Vermont Senate and 91 cities in a grassroots call for
accountability.
This past week Leslie visited all of the Democratic Judiciary members
offices to set up appointments for Betty Hall and her to talk about
supporting impeachment hearings and signing onto the Wexler letter.
http://www.wexlerforcongress.com/news.asp?ItemID=230 "The call for
impeachment continues to grow," says David Swanson of After Downing
Street http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/fasting. "If we get just
three more members of the Judiciary Committee to come out for
impeachment hearings, that will represent a majority of Democrats on
the Committee, which will really turn up the heat on Chairman Conyers.
The Impeachment Fast and the new developments in New Hampshire are
helping to build the momentum."
The following Judiciary Committee members are the most likely to sign
onto the Wexler letter. Please call them ...
• Rep. Zoe Lofgren (202-225-3072)
• Rep. Melvin Watt (202-225-1510)
• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (202-225-3816)
• Rep. Bobby Scott (202-225-8351, Mon.-Fri.)
Also, please continue to call Congressman Conyers (202-225-5126, Mon.-Fri.).
Thank you for your support!
Much Love,
Peace and Freedom,
Jes & Leslie
Just for fun ... photos of Leslie, Jes and our CodePink Sisters from
DC's High Heeled Race:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/codepinkalert/sets/72157603956429994/show/
Jes & Leslie ... A Journey for Peace and Freedom: http://www.jfpf.org/
If you would like to be added to or removed from The Gandhi Peace
Brigade Group List,
please let me know: jes_richardson@... Thank you. Jes
