READ ON GOOD PEOPLE - LOTS OF NEWS & IMPORTANT LINKS TO CHECK OUT - Let's Start With A Message From Howard Dean At DNC

Hurricane season has arrived -- and two fresh studies point to a link between global warming and an increase in the number and power of storms like Hurricane Katrina. What are Republicans doing about it? They're smearing former Vice President Al Gore.

[DUCHESS NOTE - Typical of the Bush Regime, they are not doing a helluva lot to help or prepare the Gulf Coast region for any hurricane season. They'd rather pocket the money or give it to their corporate buddies. Their attitude towards millions of good, decent, hardworking Americans is a hearty F--K YOU! Don't vote these buggers back into office or any other Republicans. It’s like shooting yourself repeatedly in the foot.]

One right-wing pundit compared Gore to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propagandist. Another right-winger, who's been on the payroll of corporate special interests, likened Gore's pursuit of solutions to global warming to Adolph Hitler's pursuit of genocide. I'm sending Al a note this week telling him to keep fighting, to keep standing up for the truth no matter how vicious the attacks. I thought he might like to hear from you, too. Sign on to this note of thanks, and add your own note of encouragement here:

http://www.democrats.org/keepfighting

Facts are facts. Global warming is happening, and it threatens our very existence. But it also presents a historical opportunity to rise above politics and act boldly. Despite right-wing efforts to silence him, Al Gore has articulated one of the great moral challenges of our time and tried to move people to act.

[DUCHESS NOTE - Did you know that Al Gore has been involved since the late 1980s in regards to research, awareness and speaking out on Global Warming. This is a man whose concern is for the environment, animals and mankind. I'd rather have someone in the Oval Office who truly cares about ALL that. As oppose to the hate & war-mongers that foul that office today. Think about it and really listen to what your heart/soul say to you.]

This should not be a political issue. We need a conversation about climate change and its consequences. But special interests in Washington have a tight grip on the Republican leadership, and an entire network of corporate-funded front groups has emerged to deny reality and attack the messenger. They hope that scorched-earth political tactics will cover up the reality that the scientific debate is one they've already lost. Vice President Al Gore deserves our thanks for his courage and leadership. Let him know you appreciate his stand by signing on to this letter of thanks before this week is over:

http://www.democrats.org/keepfighting

Did you know the National Academy of Sciences joined academies in the other G8 countries last year by concluding that global warming requires "prompt action"? Or that insurance companies are fleeing coastlines and charging huge premiums to avoid taking more losses from massive hurricanes? How about the fact that climate researchers have a new worry: that we could cross a tipping point that sends sea levels rising by 20 feet by the end of the century? If you didn't know, that's by design. Corporate special interests are deeply invested in keeping us hooked to the status quo -- high gas prices, inefficiency, and dependence on foreign oil.

That's why last year, in the middle of a record-breaking hurricane season, Republicans in Congress and the White House gave oil companies $6 billion -- even as those companies ran away with the largest corporate profits in American history. And that's why we still have yet to see the Bush administration stand up and do anything to stop global warming. Enough is enough, and people know it. Al Gore is demonstrating exactly the kind of courage and moral clarity that Democrats will bring when we take back Congress and win elections up and down the ballot this year. The inconvenient truth is that global warming exists and thanks to Al Gore, it's now more likely that America will come together and do something about it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY ... The river that flows in you also flows in me. Kabir

MESSAGE FROM THE JONATHAN TASINI FOR NY SENATE CAMPAIGN
Ballot Access petitioning is officially underway and off to a great start! Jonathan was joined by dozens of great volunteers and special guest Cindy Sheehan for a press conference Tuesday morning, June 6th. Throughout the day, we talked to thousands of voters and collected well over a thousand signatures in only one day! Nearly every person we talked to was concerned about the war and grateful for Jonathan’s candidacy! Our work is just beginning though and we have a long road ahead of us before we secure a spot on the September ballot. There's a lot of support for our campaign out there, but we need YOUR help to spread our message and make sure that people have a choice in the primary. The campaign has scheduled a series of petition drives with Jonathan over the coming week and we need your help to pass petitions (you MUST be a registered Democrat in NY to circulate petitions, but you can still show your support at these events by handing out flyers). If you're interested in helping out (even if you can't cover the whole time listed) or if you want to schedule a petition effort in your neighborhood, please call Russell at the office at: 646.415.8361

MORE NEWS FROM TASINI FOR NY SENATE CAMPAIGN
Tuesday's Huffington Post reported that Connecticut Democrats, fueled by grassroots internet campaigning are rallying around Senator Joe Lieberman's primary opponent, Ned Lamont. Lieberman is now in serious danger of losing his seat thanks to the work of our progressive compatriots in the Constitution State.

[DUCHESS NOTE - Joe Lieberman, like Hillary Clinton, are not true Democrats, but essentially Republican Lites. Please vote during the primaries and elections for true Democrats, Progressives and Liberals. Let’s get the garbage OUT of the House and Senate. Then get us back on the road to being a country one can be proud of & shine with others in the global community.]

Wouldn't it be truly historic if we could put the same fear into Senator Clinton? Well, we can. If we can get Jonathan Tasini on the ballot the major media and political establishment will no longer be able to ignore him. The following is the petition collection schedule for the remainder of this week. I apologize in advance if you have already seen this but the campaign asked me to make sure that as many people as possible know when and where they can help out. If you have not collected signatures before, it is really a very simple process that can be explained in a matter of minutes once you arrive at one of the locations below.

Friday, 6/9 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Tribeca Community Street Festival (meet at Murray St. & Broadway)
Saturday, 6/10 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Brooklyn Pride Parade (meet at the corner of Prospect Park West & 9th St.)
Sunday, 6/11 11:00 am to 6:00 pm Central Park (meet in front of Museum of Natural History)

If you have any further questions, get in touch with Russell or Charles via Tasini campaign at www.tasinifornewyork.org

FRIENDS OF FRIDAY FORUM ... Check out this website for terrific, insightful commentary on current topics. Link is listed in lefthand column. To my wonderful regular Net readers of the "Duchess Journal", if you wish to contribute commentary to FOFF, you can send me an email at cblossom@mindspring.com

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM MOVEON.ORG CIVIC ACTION - Save NPR & PBS
Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street." Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism. Please ask 3 friends to sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year?

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=7965-4703541-sb0pyB276Ccb6UBVkOMbRA&t=2

Last year, over 1 million of us signed the petition, and Congress listened. We can do it again if you pass this message along to any friends, neighbors, or co-workers who count on NPR and PBS for news or children's programming. This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down. The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in the budget they're trying to decimate any news outlets willing to ask tough questions of those in power. Americans trust public broadcasting more than any corporate news media. This is an ideological attack on our free press. President Bush's budget proposed cuts to NPR and PBS, but Congress is going even further: slashing 23% of this year's public broadcasting budget $115 million and denying NPR and PBS any funding in two years. The cuts immediately terminate support for commercial-free children's shows like "Sesame Street," "Clifford," and "Maya and Miguel." The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Please ask 3 friends to sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=7965-4703541-sb0pyB276Ccb6UBVkOMbRA&t=3

MESSAGE FROM ACTOR ROBERT REDFORD On Behalf Of The Kick The Oil Habit Campaign
When President Bush took office in 2001, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $1.47. Today the average price is $2.89 and it's much more in many places. This surge in gas prices has hit a nerve for many around the country, reminding us of an economy that is increasingly uncertain for the middle-class; a growing addiction to oil that draws us ever closer to dictators and despots, and a fragile global position with a climate that is increasingly out of balance. It's time to rise to the challenge and Kick the Oil Habit. Join me and thousands of others by taking action at: http://www.KicktheOilHabit.org

We just launched a campaign to take on Big Oil companies and demand better energy solutions. Please take a moment to visit our site and watch our powerful video that shows how Big Oil and their backers in Washington are profiting while working Americans are paying more.

Screen Capture from Kick the Oil Habit Ad ... www.KicktheOilHabit.org

Our first action is to challenge oil companies to double the number of E85 ethanol fuel pumps at their stations within a year and pledge to offer renewable fuel at half of all gas stations within the decade. Please join our effort and take action now: http://www.KicktheOilHabit.org

A Project of Center for American Progress Action Fund KicktheOilHabit.org is a campaign of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, which is working to transform progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy, and partnerships with other progressive leaders throughout the country and the world.