ALL THE NEWS THAT FIT TO PRINT & THEN SOME

FRAMING KATRINA
George Lakoff, John Halpin, The American Prospect
With millions of Americans displaced, injured or dead in the disaster's aftermath, America watched modern conservative ideology -- less government, lower taxes, a strong defense -- crumble.
http://www.alternet.org/katrina/26960/

PEACEFUL DAY IN IRAQ
Commentary by Cindy Sheehan
Secondly, I hate to spoil CNN's euphoria over the vote on the referendum, but 5 soldiers and a Marine were killed by IEDs on Saturday. I wonder if the families of those tragically slain on the "peaceful" day are celebrating the turnout on Saturday? I know I don't think that it was worth Casey dying so the people of Iraq can vote in a theocracy.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1017-30.htm

HARRIET MIERS: A SUCKER PUNCH
Joshua Holland, AlterNet
Roe v. Wade isn't going anywhere if Harriet Miers becomes justice, but bickering about it makes for a distraction for the corporate interests that will flourish in a Roberts-Miers Court.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/26916/

THE IRAQ CONSTITUTION: AND THEY CALL THIS VICTORY
Commentary by Ivan Eland
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1018-20.htm

BIRD FLU BLUES
Madeline Drexler, TomPaine.comAmerica's corporate culture and Bush cronyism is putting the nation at risk in the event of a flu pandemic -- which is looking ever more likely to happen.
http://www.alternet.org/story/26950/

REMEMBERING 18.9 CENT GAS
Neal Peirce, Seattle Times
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1018-27.htm

VIGGO MORTENSEN LOVES POLITICS
Nina Siegal, The Progressive
The man who conquered evil in Middle Earth as Aragorn speaks about his new movie, political activism and not being anti-Bush.
http://www.alternet.org/story/26772/

A QUESTION FOR JOURNALISTS: HOW DO WE COVER PENGUINS AND THE POLITICS OF DENIAL?
Keynote speech by Bill Moyers to the Society of Environmental Journalists Convention in Austin, TX on October 1st
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1007-21.htm

QUOTE OF THE DAY ... Communism is the corruption of a dream of justice. Adlai Stevenson

DISASTER RELIEF OR BUDGET DISASTER? Call Congress TODAY and Demand a Fair and Sensible Budget [Message from TrueMajority]

Hundreds of thousands of Katrina survivors are homeless, jobless, without health coverage--added to the millions already poor in America. The right wing's response? Cut Medicaid, food stamps, housing and other vital services still deeper.

Hard to believe--but this Thursday the House of Representatives is expected to vote on increasing the cuts in vital programs (such as Medicaid, food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), child welfare services, SSI, unemployment insurance, child support, etc.) from $35 billion to $50 billion. Forces in the Senate would also like to cut more. In addition, House right-wing members are calling for across-the-board cuts of all the other programs--including housing, education, public health, nutrition, child care, etc. A coalition of groups is mobilizing a massive outcry against this inexcusable legislation--a national call-in is scheduled until Thursday's vote--and TrueMajority members can play a crucial role in this action. Using the guidelines below, call your congressperson toll-free today and tell him or her to oppose the planned tax cuts and the cuts in spending on essential social services.

Right-wing operative Grover Norquist once infamously said he wanted to see our government shrink until he could "drown it in a bathtub." Hurricane Katrina, though, showed us the real consequences of starving our infrastructure. It's past time to make our country strong again with functional emergency services, first-rate universities, healthy communities and all the other things that come from working together in an effective government. With $35 billion dollars planned to be cut from Medicaid and other important programs and $70 billion in planned tax cuts for the rich, this legislation is too important for us to remain silent. Join activists around the country in this opportunity to tell Congress that a strong domestic infrastructure is essential for an effective government--one that can meet the needs of ALL of its citizens.

Message From Working Families Network - Call Congress for a New Direction

President George W. Bush and his congressional allies want to cut $35 billion to $50 billion from vital survival programs like Medicaid, food stamps, education and housing. They claim the cuts are needed to rebuild the hurricane-damaged Gulf Coast. But in reality, they're trying to give another $70 billion in new tax breaks to the rich. THEY'VE GOT THEIR PRIORITIES WRONG. Let's set them straight.

All this week, tens of thousands of working family activists are calling their members of Congress, urging them to reject these wrong-headed budget priorities and set a new direction for America. Please use the following toll-free number to call your members of Congress today ... 1-800-393-1082

Tell them:

1] America needs a new direction--one that puts people first and invests in good jobs, health care for all, schools, hospitals and highways.

2] DON'T cut $35 billion to $50 billion from vital public programs that families need, such as Medicaid and food stamps.

3] STOP giving tax breaks to the rich instead of investing in working families.

It is an outrage that the Bush administration and its allies are using the tragedy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to cut survival programs for working families--especially devastated Gulf Coast working families--while giving more huge tax breaks to the rich. We expect our elected leaders to put working families first--before their corporate backers and the ultra-rich. But too many of them are willing to sell "the land of the free and the home of the brave" to the highest bidder. Congress is expected to vote on the federal budget before the end of this month. That means we have very little time to make sure they reject special interest priorities and fund working family priorities. Call your members of Congress right now, toll-free, at ... 1-800-393-1082

Congress must hear from tens of thousands of us if we're going to make a difference. Right now, union and community groups, faith communities and civil rights organizations are reaching out to their members, urging them to call Congress today and tomorrow. Please be part of this nationwide outreach--as soon as you have called your members of Congress, please forward this message to your friends, family and co-workers and ask them to call Congress, too. Working families can't live with the perverse priorities the Bush administration and its allies in Congress are showing us now. We've got to get America back on track, in a new direction with the right priorities for working families. Please do all you can to make sure your members of Congress reject the $35 billion to $50 billion in budget cuts to vital programs and the $70 billion in unnecessary new tax cuts for the rich. Thank you for calling Congress on behalf of working families.