IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE DNC INTERNET TEAM
Meet Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), the man Republicans have chosen as their Majority Leader in the House of Representatives. Tom DeLay is at the center of a bewildering array of investigations into corruption, abuse of power, and ethics violations. As the courts and committees investigate DeLay's misdeeds and hand down indictments, keeping track of all the scandals can be a full-time job. So we thought it would be helpful to offer folks a quick and easy guide: http://redir.democrats.org/rdr/0030H01B8o0001D

People need to get to know Tom DeLay. He personifies the kind of government we're getting from Republicans -- corrupt, power-hungry, and out of touch. They also need to know that his Republican colleagues in the House have been complicit in his pattern of sleaze. They even changed the ethics rules to protect him, and packed the Ethics Committee with a bunch of DeLay cronies for good measure.

SPREAD THE WORD
It is vital that you help the DNC spread the word about Tom DeLay. The more people who know about his record, the more pressure he'll face. Forward this message to your friends or use this handy tool: http://redir.democrats.org/rdr/0030H01B8o0001E

Even conservative commentators and editorial boards see the writing on the wall -- they have been weighing in against DeLay's misdeeds and shaming his fellow Republicans for supporting him. But House Republicans don't care --his money for influence machine and his power-hungry crusades have become standard practice for the GOP. The DeLay boat is sinking. And it's taking the entire Republican Party with it. Thank you for making sure every American knows it: http://redir.democrats.org/rdr/0030H01B8o0001F

MOST AMERICANS SAY NO NATIONS SHOULD HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Will Lester, Associated Press
The Bush administration repeatedly warns about nuclear weapons and is using diplomacy - and force - to try to limit the threat. Two-thirds of respondents say NO nation should have nuclear weapons, including the United States. Most of the others surveyed say no more countries should get the weapons.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0331-05.htm

RUN-OUT HAS BECOME A RUNAROUND
Jim Spencer, Denver Post
In the past week, two White House spokesmen have told me they don't know the name of a Republican staff member who refused to let three people attend President Bush's March 21 Social Security "town hall" meeting in Denver. The three were banned because they arrived in a car with a "No More Blood for Oil" bumper sticker. The White House doesn't know who did this because the White House doesn't care to find out.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0330-34.htm

WHY I DON'T CARE ABOUT TERRY SCHIAVO
Commentary by Joyce Marcel
How can I not care? Because I refuse to have my emotions manipulated by the news media. These are serious times, and I guess I'm a serious person. From the media, I'd like to learn more about America's debt load, and whether it's good for China and Japan to own so much of our country. I'd like to know about our plans for competing with China and India for oil and other natural resources. Come to think of it, I'd like to see a detailed analysis of whether we're really running low on oil. Will we run out during our lifetimes, or are the doom prophesies scare tactics, allowing billionaires to make more billions on the backs of the rest of us? I'd like to know the implications of the dollar's shrinkage against the Euro. Politically, just about everything my government does worries me. And then there's the war in Iraq.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0330-30.htm

[Duchess Note ... The below item was sent to me by a fellow NYC Kucitizen[ie: Ed W], who found it on the Internet. Just wanted to share with you all, plus presents a solid case on how immoral and corrupt these right-wing repressives are.]

SCHIAVO CASE - Were You Aware??? Whatever Your Personal Beliefs Are Concerning Terry Schiavo.

Were you aware that George W. Bush signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes? It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. A 68 year old man was given a temporary reprieve by the Texas courts just yesterday.

Were you aware that Republicans have voted en masse to pull the plug (no pun intended) on Medicaid funding that pays for the kind of care that someone like Terry Schiavo and many others who are not so severely brain damaged need all across this country?

Were you aware that the tort reform that is being contemplated by the Republican congress would preclude malpractice claims like that which has paid for Terry Schiavo's care thus far?

Were you aware that the bankruptcy bill will make it even more difficult for families who suffer a catastrophic illness like Terry Schiavo's because they will not be able to declare Chapter 7 bankruptcy and get a fresh start when the gargantuan medical bills become overwhelming?

Were you aware that this grandstanding by the congress is a purely political move designed to appease the religious right and that the legal maneuverings being employed would be anathema to any true small government conservative?

We are seeing a spectacle on television in which the news anchors repeatedly say that the congress is "stepping in to save Terry Schiavo" mimicking the unctuous words of Tom Delay as they grovel and leer at the family and nod sympathetically at the sanctimonious opportunists who are using this issue for their political gain. This is why it's become so difficult to trust the mainstream media [ie: CBS, ABC, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, etc]. Most people get their news from television. And television is presenting this issue as a round the clock one dimensional soap opera pitting the "family", the congress and the church against this woman's husband and the judicial system that upheld Terry Schiavo's right and explicit request that she be allowed to die if extraordinary means were required to keep her alive. The ghoulish infotainment industry is making a killing by acceding once again to trumped up right wing hypocrisy.