Capitol
Hill Update, March 2006
 |
Things
are hopping on Capitol Hill.
Make sure you let 'em know
how you feel about things
that matter: federal budget,
Iraq, nuclear deals.
|
|
You,
too, can lobby Congress about the
things that matter to you. Yes,
you can. Yes. You.
 |
Okay,
yes, it looks daunting.
So big and domey and all.
But that Congress is beholden
to you. So tell 'em what
you want 'em to do.
Check
out our handy dandy toolkit,
and get some good advice
about how to lobby your
Members of Congress.
It isn't hard. Really.
|
Right
now, Congress is about to head
home for recess. If you haven't
already set up office visits with
your Members of Congress, try
this: find out if they're holding
town meetings while they're home,
and attend one. And speak up!
(The
next recess is April 10-21; now's
the time to write a request for
a meeting during that period.)
 |
WAND
and WiLL organize group
letters to Congress - 2006
"National
security is essential. However,
it does not make Americans
secure to increase funding
for the Department of Defense
and the nuclear weapons
portion of the Department
of Energy while cutting
funds for other vital programs."
Press
release on letter from
70 human needs groups. |
Iraq
war: Actions you can take today
 |
Set
up a plan to leave Iraq.
Support HJ Res 55.
March 06: It's time to get
HJ Res 55 out of committee
and onto the floor. Ask
your Rep. to sign the discharge
petition.
Click
here to send a message.
|
HJ
Res 55 (House Joint Resolution
55) calls on President Bush to
set a plan for beginning the phase-out
of U.S. troops in Iraq. It is
currently stalled in committee.
A
discharge petition allows a bill
to move to the floor for debate
-- without having committee approval
-- if the petition is signed by
a majority (218) of House Members.
Ask
your Representative to sign the
discharge petition to get HJ Res
55 onto the floor. Click
here to send a message.
2006
Congressional Schedule
March 20 - 24: St. Patrick's Day
Recess
April 10 - 21: Easter Recess
May 29 - June 2: Memorial Day Recess
July 3 - 7: July 4th Recess
August 7 - September 4: August Recess
October 6: Target Adjournment
|
 |
Notes
from
the
WAND
News
Bulletin
editor
Ah,
didn't
we
exhaust
you
last
month
with
our
special
edition
on
the
FY07
budget?
|
|
We won't repeat ourselves: If
you
want
to
know
what
we
said:
February
edition
on
FY07
federal
budget.
(Bottom
line:
boo
hiss
to
increasing
funding
for
Pentagon
while
decreasing
funding
for
human
needs.)
Otherwise,
the
news
right
now
is
the
request
for
supplemental
appropriations.
So:
bottom
line
on
this?
Used
to
be,
you
had
your
basic
federal
budget;
it
covered
just
about
everything
you
could
anticipate
you'd
need.
But
sometimes
things
came
up:
emergencies!
that
weren't
in
the
regular
ole
budget.(You
know,
you
have
your
household
budget,
but
a
storm
knocks
a
tree
onto
your
roof;
you
need
a
way
to
find
some
money
fast,
aka
supplemental
appropriation.)
But
this
administration
is,
essentially,
playing
games
with
this
tradition.
In
order
to
keep
that
federal
budget
pie
looking
like
it's
just
about
the
same
size
as
always,
it
doesn't
include
funding
for
the
wars
in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
in
the
pie.
It
regards
this
as
an
emergency!
and
asks
for
the
money
in
a
supplemental
appropriation.
Smoke
and
mirrors.
Shell
game.
Yes.
This
month
we
begin
the
fourth
year
of
the
war
in
Iraq--it's
not
a
tree
falling
on
the
roof
anymore
(if
it
ever
was).
But
we
continue
to
treat
it
so.
Because
it
makes
everything
look
rosier.
And
that,
indeed,
is
what
this
administration
is
about:
the
rosy
picture.
Okay.
So
--
now
they're
debating
the
$91
billion
supplemental;
they're
not
making
the
pie
any
bigger;
and
they're
not
raising
taxes.
So
what
happens?
What
you
might
do
when
the
tree
falls
and
there's
no
money
in
the
bank:
credit
card
debt!
From
the
Washington
Post:
"The
federal
budget
deficit
is
expected
to
reach
$371
billion
this
year."
That
deficit
ain't
going
anywhere.
We're
gonna
have
to
pay
it
off
some
day.
But
let's
not
talk
about
that:
rosy
glasses
on!
|
|
|
|
When
$8 Trillion
Isn't Enough
Washington Post
editorial |
March 15, 2006
| Click
here for
full piece.
...Mr.
Bush has managed
to rack up more
new debt during
his five years
in office than
the entire debt
amassed by the
United States
through 1988.
And there is
more to come:
The president's
budget envisions
the debt rising
to $11.5 trillion
by 2011. This
means that an
increasing share
of an increasingly
tight budget
must be devoted
simply to paying
interest --
an estimated
$220 billion
this fiscal
year alone.
Remember: This
is the president
who entered
office promising
to pay off $2
trillion in
debt held by
the public over
the next decade.
Far from being
paid down, the
debt held by
the public has
grown, from
$3.3 trillion
in 2001 to $5
trillion this
year.
...as
the debt ceiling
approaches $9
trillion, it's
time to pause
and consider
the unabashed
recklessness
of the Bush
administration's
fiscal policies
and its unwillingness
to alter its
tax-cutting
course to accommodate
new budgetary
realities.
"Future
generations
shouldn't be
forced to pay
back money that
we have borrowed,"
Mr. Bush said
in March 2001.
"We owe
this kind of
responsibility
to our children
and grandchildren."
Where is that
responsibility
now?
|
|
Iraq war costs: what it
means to you
The administration submitted another
$72.4 billion
request for
war-related
funding to Congress.
NPP analyzes
the request
and what it
means to taxpayers
in your state.
Click
here for
the full scoop.
|
|
Analysis
of the Pentagon’s Fiscal
Year 2006 Supplemental Funding
Requests
From our friends at the
Center for Arms Control and
Non-Proliferation
March 06, 2006 | Full piece,
click
here.
On February
16, the Bush Administration
submitted to Congress its Fiscal
Year 2006 supplemental spending
request to cover the costs of
ongoing military operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan and
recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
Congressional leaders are reportedly
hoping to pass this funding
prior to the April recess.
The
request is actually two separate
submissions: $19.8 billion for
Hurricane Katrina Relief and
$74.5 billion for the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Almost
$68 billion of the latter funding
is for the Department of Defense,
as well as over $1.8 billion
of the hurricane relief funding.
According
to an analysis by the House
Budget Committee’s Democratic
staff, this additional $68 billion
for military operations would
bring the total amount
allocated to the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan to over $445
billion since September 11,
2001.
|
| Republicans
on Hill Resist Party Leaders'
Spending Cuts
By
Jonathan Weisman | Washington
Post | March 14, 2006
Click
here for full article.
...To
that end, the Senate yesterday
began debating a plan that would
cap nondefense spending at Congress's
discretion at $420 billion for
the fiscal year that will begin
on Oct. 1, $15 billion lower
than the fiscal 2006 level.
Under
the budget plan, discretionary
spending on environmental and
natural resource programs would
fall 20 percent. Spending on
community and regional development
programs would be slashed by
32 percent, and politically
sensitive transportation spending
would be cut by 17 percent.
|
|
Prepared
Opening Statement, Representative
Jim R. Ryun (R-KS 2nd) | Department
of Defense Hearing
Click
here for more.
...So
when we decided that defense
is our highest domestic priority,
that meant that every other
domestic program had to be at
the peril of that decision.
Or in other words, everything
else had to do with a little
less, so defense could have
more.
And
here's what that's looked like.
Since
September 2001, the National
Defense budget – when
we include supplementals –
has increased by about 70% –
or by an average of about 11%
per year.
For
the past two years – following,
I would say, generous growth
for the previous 5-years –
we realized we had to put the
spending brakes on somewhere,
and we held non-defense, non-security
discretionary spending to 1.3%
growth in 2004, and to near
freeze last year.
And
this year, the Administration
has asked for an actual cut
– of about ½ %
– to all non-defense,
non-security spending. And I
would guess that this Congress
will likely follow in that direction.
|
|
In
other news: More on weapons
in space
Pentagon
eyeing weapons in space
Budget seeks millions to test
new technologies
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff
| March 14, 2006 | Click
here for full article.
The
descriptions included in the
budget request mark only what
is publicly known about the
military's space warfare plans.
Specialists believe the classified
portion of the $439 billion
budget, blacked out for national
security reasons, almost certainly
includes other space-related
programs...
Philip Coyle,
who served as the Pentagon's
top weapons tester from 1994
to 2001, said in an interview
that he sees ''new emphasis
on space weapons" even
though ''there is no threat
in space to justify a new arms
race in space."
''US missile
defense is the first wave in
which the United States could
introduce attack weapons in
space, that is, weapons with
strike capability," he
said. ''Once you've got space-based
interceptors up there, they
can just as well be used for
offense as defense." |
| National
security begins inside borders
Fort
Wayne Journal Gazette | March
6, 2006 | Article
here.
By
Benjamin Leiter
“National
security” typically refers
to protecting a nation from
external threats and thus preserving
the safety of its people. However,
the safety of a people depends
on much more than preventing
terrorism or even controlling
domestic crime. It extends to
protecting the citizens from
hunger, disease, homelessness
and ignorance. Poor economic
and social conditions undoubtedly
jeopardize our personal and
everyday safety.
|
 |
Notes
from the WAND News Bulletin
editor
I
know this doesn't have
much to do with WAND's
mission, but it's just
so disturbing, I have
to include it: |
| "March
6, 2006: South Dakota
Governor Mike Rounds today
signed away the reproductive
freedom of the women he
is sworn to protect,
with the specific intent
of challenging and overturning
Roe v. Wade and putting
at risk the lives and freedom
of women across the country."
This brings
tears to my eyes.
Look,
abortion is a sad, sad
thing, and it's a damn
shame when people -- women
AND men -- find themselves
in a situation where it's
necessary.
But
that's the thing:
it has always been a necessity
for some, and it always
will be a necessity for
some. And they
will always find a way
to accomplish it -- whether
it's legal and safe, or
illegal and dangerous;
whether it's free or expensive,
medical or quackery; it's
a fact of life. Just take
a quick scan of history.
The
way to make it go away?
Give women AND men all
the education and technology
to enable them to control
their reproductive lives
as much as possible.
The way
to pretend it's going
to go away? Put on the
rosy glasses (you remember
them, they let you think
you can wage an interminable
war without raising taxes),
then make it illegal;
or expensive; or dangerous.
And then
watch the back alley fill
with quacks and desperate
women, and start counting
the bodies.
And then,
try to feel good about
what you've done. |
|
|
Over
100,000 sign the WomenSayNotoWar
petition
It's delivered
to the White House on International
Women's Day
By
Jodie Evans, CODEPINK | March
12th, 2006
Thousands of us stood together
at the Santa Monica Beach, north
of the pier next to the Arlington
West Memorial to represent the
world uniting to say NO to war.
Artist John Quigley created
this powerful aerial image for
us on a canvas so big it took
a helicopter to capture it all.
WomenSayNOtoWar
You can still
sign the petition! and unite with
women everywhere to contribute
towards the end of the illegal
war in Iraq. Go
to: www.womensaynotowar.org
to sign the call now!
Susan
Shaer (right), WAND executive
director, with Code Pink leaders
at the march in September 2005.
|
| Our
lovely sister program, Faith in
Action for New Directions, now
publishes a monthly column. Please
visit and take a look. |
 |
Faith
in Action Monthly: March
March 8 is International Women's
Day!
In March, the month in which we remember the stories of women, I
practice honoring the spirits
of our ancestors — those women-saints
who have made a way for those
of us working for peace and justice
in the here and now. To read more: click
here. |
|
Peacemaker
of the Year Award to Atlanta
WAND
March 2006
This
year the Presbyterians of Greater
Atlanta Peacemaker of the Year
Award was presented to the Atlanta
Chapter of WAND.
For more about this award, click
here.
|
|
WAND
Women Taking Political Action!
Congratulations
to Indiana WAND member, Doloris
Cogan! Ms. Cogan has accepted
the position of Secretary of
the Democratic Party of Elkhart,
IN
And
congratulations to Indiana
WAND member Shari
K. Mellin, recently elected
Elkhart County Democratic Party
chairman in Indiana. To read
about her, click
here.
|
| Eight
Women for '08 |
 |
The
White House Project launches 8
for '08, a national campaign to
promote eight viable female contenders
for the presidency in 2008. The
full story debuts in this weekend's
PARADE magazine. You can learn
more about the 8 for '08 campaign
and vote for your favorite candidate:
Click
here. |
| Moms
sign up the senior class |
 |
A
nonpartisan national grassroots
project whereby mothers (and others)
visit classrooms of high school
seniors and register them to vote.
It’s
simple, really. Just like we’ve
always done, we moms help our
kids fill out forms. But
this time it isn’t a permission
slip for a school field trip,
or even a college application.
It’s
something that we hope they’ll
use for the rest of their lives.
It’s
a voter registration form.
More
info here! |
|
Notes
from the WAND News Bulletin
editor
Big
news this month: It appears
the administration has decided
that nukes are okay again.
|
|
Nuclear.
A scary word, carrying in
its three syllables so much
darkness. We unlocked
the secret of the atom,
and the force that poured
out was too much for mere
humans to handle. We grew
to fear it, to respect,
to realize that we needed
to contain it, abolish it,
lock it down.
One
nuclear bomb was proved
to kill hundreds of thousands
of people, and leave poison
and illness in its wake
for years. Nuclear power
finally proved itself untenable
and dangerous, after
nasty accidents in Chernobyl
and Three Mile Island.
It
seemed that we learned that
there was way too high a
price to pay for unleashing
this unthinkable power.
One that could,
really, literally, knock
it all down: the billions
of people, animals, water,
air, plants... It wasn't
an exaggeration, it was
quite real.
And
it seemed that we understood
this. That human beings
were just not able to have
this ultimate power at their
disposal. We were bound
to make a mistake.
Once
the Cold War was over, we
faced up to it: we had to
stop. We had to
stop building new nuclear
weapons, we had to face
that human beings were too
imperfect to run nuclear
power plants without error.
We had to track down and
lock down nuclear materials
and nuclear weapons, so
they wouldn't fall into
the wrong hands.
Now
we're not talking about
big responsible nations
facing off; we're talking
about nefarious bloodthirsty
terrorist groups and individuals,
and rogue nations. If they
were to get them, they would
use them. That simple. Game
over. We're toast.
So
today, it's more important
THAN EVER that we look at
the facts, and do EVERYTHING
WE CAN TO STOP THE SPREAD
of nuclear weapons. Not
to do so: self-destructive,
naive, willfully ignorant,
you name it.
But
here we are, March 2006,
and George W. Bush is smiling
and negotiating and taking
pride in the nuclear deal
he just negotiated with
India. I won't
touch what must be the ass-backward
politics involved in such
a deal; it's hard to know
what's going on behind the
scenes.
But
I will deal with what we
can see: we're breaking
international agreements,
and setting treacherously
dangerous precedent. We
violate the Nonproliferation
Treaty (NPT) to give India
nuclear technology. We flip
off our friends and allies
who abide by the agreement.
They
decide it's a useless piece
of paper, and they set about
ignoring it, too. China
gives nuclear technology
to Pakistan. Russia gives
it to Iran.
Please read
up on this issue (see below),
and then, please, speak
out about it. There's still
time to defeat the administration
on this one.
|
|
|
New
York Times blasts nuclear deal
Mr. Bush's
Asian Road Trip
March 7, 2006 | Click
here for full editorial.
The
nuclear deal that Mr. Bush concluded
with India threatens to blast
a bomb-size loophole through the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty...
It's
just baffling why Mr. Bush traveled
halfway around the world to stand
right next to one of his most
important allies against terrorists
— and embarrass him. India
and Pakistan are military rivals
that have fought each other repeatedly.
They have both developed nuclear
weapons outside the nonproliferation
treaty, which both refuse to sign.
When India exploded its first
acknowledged nuclear weapons eight
years ago, Pakistan felt obliged
to follow suit within weeks.
So
when Mr. Bush agreed to carve
out an exception to global nonproliferation
rules for India, it should have
been obvious that Pakistani opinion
would demand the same privileged
treatment, and that Mr. Musharraf
would be embarrassed by Mr. Bush's
explicit refusal to provide it.
Nuclear
Assistance to India: Building a
Future Menace?
March 6, 2006 | Ivan Eland | The
Independent Institute
Click
here for full article.
The
Bush administration has signed
a new nuclear pact with India
that effectively lifts a moratorium
on India’s purchase of Western
nuclear fuel, technology, and
parts. The agreement also allows
India to expand its nuclear weapons
program in exchange for international
inspections of only its civilian
nuclear activities.
Some
conservatives and the liberal
arms control community have justifiably
opposed the agreement. The conservative
opponents perceptively argue that
Iran, North Korea, and other “rogue”
nations, under international pressure
to end their nuclear programs,
will object to the double standard
of allowing India, which has defied
the Nuclear Non-proliferation
Treaty, to build as many nuclear
weapons as it wants with foreign
assistance.
Similarly,
the arms control community cogently
argues that the U.S.-India deal
effectively scraps the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty, which
the world has used to hold Iran
and North Korea in line. Although
these arguments are good ones,
the Bush administration cares
less about all this than it does
the misguided goal of building
up a democratic India as an Asian
counterweight to a rising autocratic
China.
|
|
|
Fiore
presents: Buster's secrets of
nuclear success
For an adorable
and chilling look at nuclear madness
- animated! - click
here. |
|
Facing
Facts on Iran
New York Times Editorial | March
9, 2006
Click
here for full piece.
...The
deal might not be doable in the
end, but it shows more promise
right now than any visible alternatives.
And perhaps the following bears
repeating once again:
- The
Bush administration is undermining
any international controls on
nuclear proliferation with its
attempt to reward India for
ignoring the rules and acquiring
its own weapons.
- American
policies in the Middle East
have made Iran incalculably
more powerful than it was before
the invasion of Iraq, while
virtually eliminating any room
for maneuvering when it comes
to deploying the U.S. military.
- Until
the United States makes a serious
attempt to cut down on its domestic
use of oil, there will be no
way for it to lecture any of
its allies for wanting to maintain
good relations with an oil supplier
like Iran.
|
|
"How
the US Learned to Love the Bomb
(Again)"
An
Australian TV show keeps up with
U.S. nuclear ambitions:
The
slightly bizarre idea of 'user-friendly'
nuclear weapons. On the whole
score of proliferation we're always
hearing plenty about the dangers
posed by the Irans and North Koreas
of this world but, as we're about
to see, while all that has been
going on the US itself has been
quietly beavering away on a program
aimed at completely upgrading
its nuclear arsenal, including
the development of tactical weapons
- mini-nukes that could be used
on the battlefield. Thom Cookes
reports.
Click
here to see the video.
|
|
The
Rise of U.S. Nuclear Primacy
Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press
| From Foreign Affairs, March/April
2006
Click
here for full article.
Summary:
For four decades, relations among
the major nuclear powers have
been shaped by their common vulnerability,
a condition known as mutual assured
destruction. But with the U.S.
arsenal growing rapidly while
Russia's decays and China's stays
small, the era of MAD is ending
-- and the era of U.S. nuclear
primacy has begun.
|
U.S.
Plans to Modernize Nuclear Arsenal
By
Walter Pincus | Washington Post
| March 4, 2006
Click
here for full article.
The
Bush administration is developing
plans to design and deploy refurbished
or replacement warheads for the
nuclear stockpile, and by 2030
to modernize the production complex
so that, if required, it could
produce new generations of weapons
with different or modified capabilities.
|
|
Markey
blasts Bush deal with India
Click
here for full press release.
| March 10, 2006
The
draft Administration bill was
circulated on Capitol Hill yesterday
and is expected to be introduced
next week.
“This bill, which would
ask Congress to approve something
it hasn’t seen, makes a
mockery of the Congressional oversight
process,” said Rep. Markey,
a leading critic of the Bush India
nuclear deal.
Markey
added, “If this
bill is enacted, Congress will
essentially be granting a blank
check to the Bush Administration
to exempt India from our nation’s
nuclear nonproliferation laws.
It appears that the Administration
wants to avoid a vote on the actual
text of the nuclear cooperation
agreement they will be negotiating
with the Indian Government. Perhaps
they’ve begun to realize
that if the Members have to actually
vote on this bad deal, they’ll
face a serious uphill battle.”
Under
the Administration’s draft
legislation, India would be exempted
from Section 123(a) (2) of the
Atomic Energy Act.
|
 |
Our
last best chance at preventing
nuclear terrorism.
A
stunning docudrama tells the
story. This is your
chance to tell your friends.
Order
a free copy of the movie and
host a house party. Action
alert: click
here.
Our friend Bobbie Wrenn Banks
takes it on
the road!
|
|
IRAQ
(AND NOW! IRAN) UPDATES
|
|
Notes
from the WAND News Bulletin
editor
Three years
later: STILL no weapons
of mass destruction.
|
Civil war: close.
Increasing sectarian violence:
got it. Training ground for terrorists:
check.
We have got to
find a way out of there.
A couple things
you can do:
|
Set
up a plan to leave Iraq.
Support HJ Res 55.
March 06: It's time to get
HJ Res 55 out of committee
and onto the floor. Ask
your Rep. to sign the discharge
petition.
Click
here to send a message.
|
Iraq
by the numbers:
$245
billion: Amount the U.S.
has spent so far. (source)
28,000 - 32,000:
Civilians reported killed by military
intervention in Iraq. (source)
2,293: American
service members who have died
since the start of the Iraq war.
(source)
72%: U.S. troops
in Iraq who say end war in 2006.
(source)
0: Weapons of
Mass Destruction found in Iraq.
|
Vietnam
and Iraq: Looking Back and Looking
Ahead
By
David A. Fahrenthold | Washington
Post March 12, 2006
Click
here for full article
"I
think [Vietnam] sent a cautionary
signal . . . that we should be
more cautious in military adventurism,"
former president Jimmy Carter
said in a videotaped interview
played Saturday. "These lessons
that were learned I think have
been forgotten or ignored in the
present Iraq war."
IRAQ
and VIETNAM: More Similarities than
You Thought
Council for a
Livable World has created an illuminating
(dispiriting?) chart that compares
the wars in Iraq and Vietnam.
Check
it out. |
| Christian
Peacemaker Team, March 10, 2006
We Mourn
the Loss of Tom Fox
The death of our
beloved colleague and friend pierces
us with pain. Tom Fox's body was
found in Baghdad yesterday.
Christian Peacemaker
Teams extends our deep and heartfelt
condolences to the family and
community of Tom Fox, with whom
we have traveled so closely in
these days of crisis.
We mourn the loss
of Tom Fox who combined a lightness
of spirit, a firm opposition to
all oppression, and the recognition
of God in everyone.
We renew our plea
for the safe release of Harmeet
Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember.
Each of our teammates has responded
to Jesus' prophetic call to live
out a nonviolent alternative to
the cycle of violence and revenge.
In
response to Tom's passing, we
ask that everyone set aside inclinations
to vilify or demonize others,
no matter what they have done.
In Tom's own words: "We reject
violence to punish anyone. We
ask that there be no retaliation
on relatives or property. We forgive
those who consider us their enemies.
We hope that in loving both friends
and enemies and by intervening
nonviolently to aid those who
are systematically oppressed,
we can contribute in some small
way to transforming this volatile
situation."
Even
as we grieve the loss of our beloved
colleague, we stand in the light
of his strong witness to the power
of love and the courage of nonviolence.
That light reveals the way out
of fear and grief and war.
|
|
U.S.
Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War
in 2006
Released: February 28, 2006 |
Click
here for more.
- Le
Moyne College/Zogby Poll shows
just one in five troops want
to heed Bush call to stay “as
long as they are needed”
- While
58% say mission is clear, 42%
say U.S. role is hazy
- Plurality
believes Iraqi insurgents are
mostly homegrown
- Almost
90% think war is retaliation
for Saddam’s role in 9/11,
most don’t blame Iraqi
public for insurgent attacks
- Majority
of troops oppose use of harsh
prisoner interrogation
|
|
Ted
Koppel in the New York Times:
Will Fight for Oil
February
24, 2006 | Article available for
purchase: click
here.
In
1990, when Saddam Hussein appeared
likely to follow his invasion
of Kuwait by crossing into Saudi
Arabia, the defense secretary
at the time, Dick Cheney, laid
out Washington's concerns:
"We're
there because the fact of the
matter is that part of the world
controls the world supply of oil,
and whoever controls the supply
of oil, especially if it were
a man like Saddam Hussein, with
a large army and sophisticated
weapons, would have a stranglehold
on the American economy and
indeed on the world economy."
What
Mr. Cheney said was correct then
and remains correct now.
|
William
M. Arkin on National and Homeland
Security
Attacking Iran
Even Without Good Targets
Washington Post | March 8, 2006
| Click
here for full piece.
The
Cheney-Bolton threats to Iran
this week have fueled speculation
in the press and on the Internet
that the United States (and Israel)
are planning imminent military
action.
"The
Iranian regime needs to know that
if it stays on its present course,
the international community is
prepared to impose meaningful
consequences," the Vice President
said yesterday. "We will
not allow Iran to have a nuclear
weapon."
The
Iranians "must know everything
is on the table," Ambassador
to the United Nations John Bolton
said last week.
Everything
is on the table. Meaningful consequences
do mean military action.
But
just because the hip-shooting
duo are conveying threats as part
of the ongoing diplomatic pressures
doesn't mean that the United States
is about to strike. It is not.
|
 |
Baghdad
Market Bombings Kill 46 and Wound
200
By EDWARD WONG and ROBERT F. WORTH
New York Times | March 13, 2006
| Click
here for full article.
Six car bombs exploded at dusk
on Sunday in four crowded markets
in a Shiite area of eastern Baghdad,
and an Interior Ministry official
and witnesses said the bombs killed
at least 46 people, wounded more
than 200 others and spurred Shiite
militiamen to take to the streets.
The explosions, the deadliest
assault in Baghdad in weeks, threatened
to unleash a wave of sectarian
violence similar to the one that
followed the bombing of a revered
Shiite shrine last month.
|
|
85
Bodies Found in Baghdad in Sectarian
Strife
By
JEFFREY GETTLEMAN | New York Times
| March 15, 2006
Click
here for full article.
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 14 —
The bodies of more than 85 executed
men have surfaced across Baghdad
in the past two days, in Sunni
and Shiite neighborhoods, providing
graphic proof, yet again, of sectarian
mayhem.
Many bodies bore marks of torture
— badly beaten faces, gagged
mouths and rope burns around the
neck — though it remains
unclear who is responsible...
One
result is a slow strangling of
whatever had remained of normal
life: shops are closing earlier,
people are hunkering down and
politicians are feeling squeezed.
Iraqis elected a new Parliament
in December, but until now, political
leaders have been wrangling over
the composition of a new government.
|
|
STAND
member selected for U.S. Senate
Youth Program
Ellie
Gunderson (STAND member) of Southfield
High School has been selected
for the 44th annual U.S. Senate
Youth Program, to be conducted
in March. She is one of two Michigan
high school students selected
for the program.
The program brings students from
throughout the country to the
nation's capitol for a week of
intensive studies in government.
The program is sponsored by the
William Randolph Hearst Foundation. |
Actions
and events to mark the Iraq war anniversary:
Click
here.
SOUTHERN
REGIONAL MARCH
for PEACE IN IRAQ and JUSTICE AT
HOME
SATURDAY,
APRIL 1, 2006
| ATLANTA,
GEORGIA,
12-4p.m.
More information: click
here.
A Just Peace in Iraq
/ Civil and Human Rights for All
/ People Before Profits
|
Alliance
for Nuclear Accountability’s
DC Days (3/26-3/29)
Washington, DC
New Nukes, Old Nukes, and Mountains
of Waste: Let's Stop the Madness!"
Join activists from the across the
country for three days of lobbying,
training and fun! For further information,
contact Atlanta WAND if you’re
interested in attending, 404-524-5999. |
| "WHY
WE FIGHT" - a new film |
|
Click
here for more.
|
‘Why
We Fight,” the new film
which won the Grand Jury Prize
at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival,
is an unflinching look at the
anatomy of the American war machine,
weaving unforgettable personal
stories with commentary by a “who’s
who” of military and beltway
insiders. |
IDEAS,
VISIONS, RESOURCES FOR
A BETTER WORLD |
|
 
|
Urgent
Message From Mother: Gather The
Women, Save The World
"Bolen shows us how the cult
of masculinity is endangering us
all. Women and men are equally human
and fallible but at least women
don't have our masculinity to prove
-- and that alone may make us the
main saviors of this fragile Spaceship
Earth." -- Glorian Steinem |
  |
New
Book from Michael Lerner: The Left
Hand of God
"The Left Hand of God is ambitious,
sprawling and sometimes rambling,
but it serves the vital purpose
of articulating a progressive religious
alternative to the conservative
flavor of religion that has dominated
American politics and society for
the past 30 years." -- Amy
Sullivan © 2006 The Washington
Post Company |
 |
From
Sojourners: What the Waters Revealed:
A study guide to issues raised by
Katrina
"Sojourners on the Issues"
is a series of study guides designed
to spark discussion about how to
live out God's call for justice
in our world. In the immediate
aftermath of the storm, deep issues
of race and poverty became a central
part of the national conversation.
But unless we remember the truths
revealed by Katrina, we cannot be
led to real change. |
  |
Manifesto
For Global Democracy: Two Essays
On Imperialism And The Struggle
For Freedom by Arjun Makhijani
Daniel Ellsberg: "...indispensable
reading in the struggle for global
democracy."
Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology,
Boston College: "...a
profoundly disturbing account of
global capitalism."
|
 |
Working
Assets: first, if
you're not using one of their
services, please think about it.
You're probably gonna have a credit
card anyway, so you might as well
do some good with it.
Second, if you are a customer
already, please take a moment
to vote for WAND! on their customer
ballot. Thanks! |
 |
Be
part of a powerful community
of women and men leading our
country to a secure future!
*
To
join using a credit
card online,
click
here.
|
Write
up your good ideas and win!
Essay competition for young people:
World Bank is sponsoring; due
April 2; ages 18-25; cash prizes
and a trip to Tokyo.
Topic 1: How do you contribute
to solving community problems?
Topic 2: How do you influence
decision making?
Click
here for full information. |
Don't
worry, we just moved it to a separate
page.
Click
here and you'll find out
more.
Don't
worry, we just moved it to a separate
page.
Click
here and you'll find
out all about what our chapters
and partners are planning for this
month.
The
WAND Bulletin Board is an announcement
service of WAND. The purpose of the
WAND Bulletin is to share news and ideas,
and to offer the support of a national
network of active WAND, WiLL and STAND
members and partner organizations.
WAND
/ STAND chapters and partner organizations
are encouraged to submit news for the
Bulletin Board. Please send text in
a form that is ready to be published
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bulletin@wand.org.
Statements
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do not necessarily reflect the position
of WAND.
To
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Your membership makes this work possible.
Thank
you for your support!
©
2006 WAND. |
