A sneak attack on prescription contraceptives is happening in the Senate under the guise of a healthcare bill. If passed this law will override state requirements mandating contraceptive coverage by insurance providers. Stop the sneak attack on the birth control coverage:http://go.care2.com/e/Ga8/BK/BhwO
Most states mandate reproductive health benefits that are critically important for women, including prescription benefits for contraceptives, direct access to obstetrical and gynecological service providers, pre-natal and maternity services, mammography, cervical cancer screenings, and bone-density screenings. This new law, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, could override these reproductive health requirements, denying women access to these services and driving up healthcare costs for women who will have to pay out-of-pocket for these essential preventive services. The House of Representatives approved this bill in August, so it must be stopped in the Senate. Act now at: http://go.care2.com/e/Ga8/BK/BhwO
This is an issue we should be moving forward on -- not backward. Providing insurance coverage for contraceptives is sound health-care policy. Lack of insurance coverage forces many women to choose less expensive and less reliable methods of contraception, which increases the likelihood of unintended pregnancy. In addition, improved access to contraception will allow more women to control the timing of their pregnancies, which in turn, reduces infant mortality, low birth weight, and maternal health complications during pregnancy. Tell your Senator that you oppose their risky plan at: http://go.care2.com/e/Ga8/BK/BhwO
PEARL JAM CONCERT NETS $85,000 FOR TESTER CAMPAIGN
Mike Dennison / Independent Record
http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/10/04/montana/a07100405_03.txt
[Photo below -- Pearl Jam bass player Jeff Ament on stage with Jon Tester]
THREE DAYS IN SEPTEMBER -- Terrific Account of Those Three Days by UFPJ
The Sept. 24 - 26th actions in Washington, DC were designed to offer a broad cross section of people many different ways to express their opposition to the war in Iraq, turn up the heat on the Bush Administration and Congress to end the war, make connections to some of the other pressing issues of the day, and help us all organize when we return to our communities, schools, religious centers and workplaces. We are proud to report on the tremendous success of these 3 days: our movement is stronger, hundreds of thousands of people are re-energized for the work ahead, and Congress and the White House now recognize our movement as a force to reckon with. The events and activities that took place these three days could not have happened without the direct involvement of scores of UFPJ member groups and hundreds of volunteers. If you helped get the word out, sold bus tickets, organized or participated in a contingent, helped plan any of the activities, distributed posters or leaflets, or made a financial contribution, then you helped to make history! Thank you, to each and every one who helped bring this ambitious three day program to life!
In the report below we have tried to capture some of the spirit and energy of the Sept. 24 - 26th antiwar mobilization organized by United for Peace and Justice. This is only a snap shot of what happened during these 3 days and we hope to bring you more detailed reports in the coming weeks. On Saturday, Sept. 24th hundreds of thousands of people - our estimate is at least 300,000 - marched in front of the White House and through the streets of Washington, DC in a powerful, unified statement of opposition to the war in Iraq and for justice for the people of the Gulf Coast. The call was clear: it is time to end this war and to bring the troops home! People poured into the nation's capital from every corner of the country, from all walks of life and many different communities. As impressive as the numbers were, the creativity and commitment of this massive number of people was what made the day so energizing. To see photos from these days, visit http://dianelent.com/s24mobe1.htm
The day began with a rally on the Ellipse, with the White House in the backdrop. Some of the speakers included: Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Cindy Sheehan, Curtis Muhammad (organizer from New Orleans), UFPJ National Coordinator Leslie Cagan, and Damu Smith from Black Voices for Peace. But the crowds out on the streets were so large that most people never made it to the Ellipse. By 12:30 people were in motion, determined to have their voices heard. And for the next four and a half hours the march unfolded with contingents of military families and veterans, labor, students, religious communities, women, people of color groups, counter-recruitment activists, the nuclear disarmament movement, the lgbt/queer community, seniors, professional organization, state-wide delegations, and so many more all marching to end the war on Iraq. United for Peace and Justice and other coalitions and organizations had distributed many signs and posters, but people's home made signs told the world where they had come from and what they felt most deeply. The streets of Washington are wide (we marched on roads that were 6 or 8 lanes) and there was hardly a gap as this incredible sea of humanity carried its message of peace and justice.
By the time the march took off, the two day Peace and Justice Festival organized by UFPJ was already up and running on the Washington Monument grounds. Throughout the weekend, thousands of people visited the 17 tents we had set up where groups working on common issues offered information, interactive displays, ways to get involved, and much more. More than 150 member groups of UFPJ participated in the booths covering a range of issues: Iraq, Counter-Recruitment, The Wars at Home, Real Support for the Troops, Global Justice, Legislative Action, Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq, Palestine, Nuclear Abolition, Stop Global Warming, Preventing the Next War, Local Costs of War, Youth and Students, and Grassroots Organizing (UFPJ Member Groups). At 2:30 the Operation Ceasefire concert kicked off at the Washington Monument grounds. This amazing event included performances by Joan Baez, the Machetres, Living Things, Wayne Kramer and the Bellrays, Steve Earle, The Coup, Sweet Honey in the Rock, The Evens, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Head Roc, Thievery Corporation, Bouncing Souls, Le Tigre, and Fort Knox Five DJ Set. Interspersed between the music were dynamic speeches by Julian Bond, Rev. Al Sharpton, Representatives Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee and Raul Grijalva, Ann Wright, Jim Hightower, Medea Benjamin, representatives of Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, and others. One of the high points of the event - which went to 1:30 in the morning with 40,000 still in attendance - was when Etan Thomas, the professional basketball player with the Washington Wizards, read his poetry and brought it all together.
On Sunday, Sept. 25th smaller but vitally important events took place. The Peace and Justice Festival continued throughout the day, and trainings for both the day of Congressional Lobbying and the Nonviolent Civil Disobedience action at the White House took place. In addition, the Sylvan Theatre on the Washington Monument grounds was used for a day-long concert and the Counter-Recruitment Working Group of UFPJ had an afternoon gathering that brought together people from around the country doing this work. The day closed out with what has been described as the one of the most moving Interfaith Religious Services people had ever been to. Using several of the tents that had been set up for the Peace and Justice Festival, and building on the practice of tent revivals, leaders from major religious traditions were joined by upwards of 500 people in articulating an ethical critique of the war. Clergy and Laity Concerned about Iraq (which is housed within UFPJ) organized this inspiring gathering. On Monday, Sept. 26th two events unfolded throughout the day: the Congressional Lobby Day on Capital Hill and the Nonviolent Civil Disobedience action at the White House. Organized by working groups of UFPJ, the success of these two events represented significant growth for our coalition.
The Lobby Day took our antiwar message to the halls of Congress, where at least 800 (and possibly as many as 1000) people representing more than 40 states met with the offices of over 300 senators and representatives in the largest-ever pro-peace lobby day. We urged our representatives to take every action to stop this war, cut off funding for the occupation, support existing legislation that moves towards bringing the troops home, stop building permanent bases in Iraq, provides funds as compensation for the damage caused by the war, and forbid schools from sharing student information with military recruiters without parental permission. The September 26 Lobby Day was just the beginning of our efforts to create a coordinated grassroots legislative action network to increase the pressure on Congress to stop funding the war and to bring the troops home now! The lobby visits should continue so visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3074 to download UFPJ's legislative priorities, our legislative asks and talking points.
The civil resistance action at the White House drew over 1,000 people with upwards of 400 people risking arrest. A small delegation that included religious leaders and Gold Star families approached the gate to the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue and asked to meet with the president. As was expected, they were denied such a meeting and they proceeded to sit on the sidewalk in front of the White House, soon to be joined by the others. It took some time, but by late afternoon over 370 people had been arrested in what is probably one of the largest civil resistance actions ever carried out at the White House. This work will also continue and plans for other activities around the country will be announced in the coming weeks. In the coming days and weeks we will be sharing more details about what happened and certainly new ideas about where we go from here. But in the meantime, we hope those of you were in Washington, DC will share your experiences with others who couldn't make it. The energy we felt in the streets for those three days needs to be carried out to every corner of this country – and you are the people to make that happen.
QUOTE OF THE DAY ... There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Henry David Thoreau
Message From A Former NYC Kucitizen Regarding - INN World Report information for Democracy
One of the only TV news programs daring to tell the truth and take a stand against the Bush "machine" needs help and is turning to small donors to fill in the gap while waiting for grant money to meet its operating budget. INN World Report broadcasts daily Mon-Fri on FreespeechTV which can be viewed on Dish TV station 9415 at 6:30 EST and is a TV news program that gives us the "News The Networks Won't Tell You". In NYC it is re-broadcast at 7:30am on channel 34. INN World Report consistently exposes the liars running the country by dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t's" on under-reported or un-reported stories/events in today's news. See their programs and make a donation on their website at www.innworldreport.net.
They are working to get more information up on the website as it has become apparent that this will be an important venue for broader content distribution and for funding. Please consider sending them even a small contribution to help keep them on the air. They have just submitted the application for a 501C-3 status and they have a fiscal sponsor so all contributions will be tax deductible. Some of you are seeing this for the first time... while others have been sent the appeal before. For those who are new, below is some background. Thank you all for your support and interest.
Small donations keep coming in for INN from their viewing audience but there is a large gap that needs to be filled. If you haven't made a contribution yet, please do it and thank you for helping to keep the show broadcasting. Please go to www.innworldreport.net and click "Donate Now" at the top. And please forward this to others who might be inclined to help.
INN World Report needs funding fast. FreespeechTV had promised them $10,000 for September which got diverted for Katrina stories and we are madly trying to replace it with internet donations. (The website is patchwork which is where an I.T. intern could help). Not withstanding that the program is far from perfect it has managed to put out a daily broadcast that has been uplinked to Freespeech every weekday since the RNC came to town and the content has been consistently sticking it to the liars running the country. FreespeechTV unfortunately only broadcasts over DishTV which itself has about 26 million subscribers mostly in red states, so most of the blue staters haven't seen it, and I suspect that only a small percentage of the red state subscribers have an appetite for progressive programming like INN and Democracy Now which proceeds them in the programming slot.
Anyway, I've been asked to help with grant applications, but their need is much more immediate and unless we can find them some quick money they will go off the air this week. I have spoken to John Swartz the founder of FreespeechTV who is fighting his own funding battles (also affected by Katrina) and while he acknowledges that INN World Report is an important program for them, he doesn't have latitude to fund them right now, even though they were in the budget. So it's a bad situation. Please make a donation at www.innworldreport.net by clicking on the button at the top of the home page and please forward this to other forward thinking people.
ON A WEEDY PATCH OF SHORE, VISIONS OF A FIXER-UPPER PARK
Marc Ferris / New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/nyregion/thecity/02wate.html
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