February 19, 2005

We're writing from St. Louis, where hundreds of activists from around the country have gathered at the United for Peace and Justice national assembly to discuss and debate strategies for ending the military occupation of Iraq and creating a better world. It's so energizing to be here with these wonderful activists and be reminded that people who care deeply about our planet and its inhabitants are everywhere!

One month from today, Saturday, March 19, is the two-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. We need to speak out on March 19 - to say NO to war, torture, and occupation, and YES to international law, peaceful approaches to solving world problems, and respect for the planet and its inhabitants.

Please join CODEPINK in participating in regional protests or creating local protests such as the ones listed below.

REGIONAL MOBILIZATION IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC
Military families, veterans of the war on Iraq, peace and justice organizations, and thousands of people from around the southeast will march and rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville is the home of Ft. Bragg, one of the largest military bases in the country. Sponsors include Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, North Carolina Peace and Justice Coalition, NC Council of Churches, Fayetteville Quaker House, CODEPINK, and dozens of others. If you live within driving distance of Fayetteville, we hope to see you there. Go to www.NCpeacejustice.org for more information.

PEACE RIBBON AT FAYETTEVILLE
Also in Fayetteville, CODEPINK will display a Peace Ribbon, honoring the victims of the war in Iraq. Our goal is to create a remembrance panel for fallen soldiers and Iraqi civilians who died as a result of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. We need your help. Please make a panel. For instructions, see http://www.codepinkalert.org/National_Actions_Peace_Ribbon_Project.shtml

REGIONAL MOBILIZATION IN SAN DIEGO, CA
Camp Pendleton Marine base, one of the largest bases in the country, has suffered a tragic number of causalities lin the ongoing war and occupation of Iraq. CODEPINK will honor the devastating loss of these troops with a peaceful 30 mile, two day procession. Join us on March 18th and 19th as we walk from Oceanside, home of Camp Pendleton, to the massive rally at Balboa Park where we will unite with the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice to mark the second anniversary of the war in Iraq: The World Says End the War! Bring the Troops Home Now! Rebuild our Communities! For details and information about the peace procession and rally, check out the CODEPINK San Diego page.

NONVIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IN WASHINGTON, DC
The Iraq Pledge of Resistance campaign will kick off on the second anniversary of the invasion with nonviolent civil disobedience actions in Washington, DC and elsewhere. If you are ready to join the ranks of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. as a nonviolent resister, please find out more at www.iraqpledge.org.

LOCAL PROTESTS: BOOKS NOT BOMBS!
We urge you to be out in the streets of your community on March 19, chanting, praying, holding signs, or doing whatever is meaningful to you. We especially encourage you to highlight the impact of the cost of war in your own community. Some communities, especially near military bases, have lost many loved ones in the war. Others are losing funding for vital community programs like public libraries and hospitals while billions are being spent on violence and destruction in Iraq. Get together with military families and veterans, and people who depend on community programs that are being eliminated. Consider holding your protest in front of the health clinic or the library that's being closed down. Check www.unitedforpeace.org to see if a March 19 event is already planned in your community.

See you in action,
Andrea, Ariel, Claire, Dana, Gael, Jodie, Medea, Nancy, Rae, Tiffany

Unter http://www.stopbolkestein.org existiert ein internationales Portal mit Attac-Beteiligung, wo online gegen die geplante Dienstleistungsrichtlinie der EU unterschrieben werden kann. Diesen "Bolkestein-hammer" zu stoppen ist eins der wichtigsten Ziele, wenn wir die neoliberale EU in ihre Grenzen weisen wollen - wir bitten deshalb alle herzlich, zu unterzeichnen und diese Aktion auch breit bekannt zu machen.

Mehr Informationen zur Dienstleistungsrichtlinie wie immer unter
http://www.attac.de/bolkestein .

--------

Die letzten Äußerungen von Barroso, in denen von einer möglichen Revision der Direktive durch die EU-Kommission die Rede war, lassen Zweifel an der vorgesehenen Terminplanung aufkommen. Der zunehmende Druck der europäischen progressiven Kräfte der Zivilbevölkerung, Gewerkschaften und politischen Parteien hängt mit diesen Erklärungen des Präsidenten der Kommission zusammen. Doch Vorsicht! Es ist ungewiss, in welche Richtung diese Revision gehen soll.

Kehrt der Text auf den Schreibtisch der Europakommission zurück, steht es uns zu, mit allen Mitteln unsere Stimme zu Gehör zu bringen! Im derzeitigen Stadium setzen sich verschiedene Kommissionen des Europäischen Parlaments mit dem Ursprungstext auseinander. Der Richtlinienentwurf wird am 7. und 8. März auf der Tagesordnung der Sitzung des EU-Wettbewerbsrates stehen. Der von der Europäischen Kommission festgelegte Termin für die erste Lesung im Europaparlament liegt im Juni 2005.

Die Mobilisierung der progressiven Kräfte bezüglich der Petition http://www.stopbolkestein.org ist also nach wie vor aktuell!

Je umfassender die allgemeine europäische Zustimmung ausfallen wird, um so gestärkter werden sich natürlich diejenigen fühlen, die den Protest im Kampf gegen die Direktive in ihre nationalen und/oder europäischen Instanzen tragen werden!

Am Rande des Europäischen Rates im Frühjahr wird für den 19. März in Brüssel mit Gewerkschaften, Verbänden und Sozialbewegungen eine große Mobilisierung organisiert. Die Slogans betreffen die Lissabon-Strategie, Arbeit- und Arbeitszeit, also kurz gesagt das soziale Europa und den Widerstand gegen die Bolkestein-Direktive.

Außerdem wird die Petition http://www.stopbolkestein.org weitergeführt! Die Website wurde in 6 Sprachen zugänglich gemacht. Durch die Website konnten über 35 000 Unterschriften von Einzelpersonen, mehr als 100 Unterstützungszusagen von Organisationen und um die 10 000 Unterschriften auf Papier gesammelt werden. Außerdem wurden ausführliche Argumente zur Erklärung der Direktive hinzugefügt.

Schicken Sie den Link http://www.stopbolkestein.org an alle Adresse in Ihrem Adressbuch!

Setzen Sie ihn in die Signature Ihrer Mails!

Leiten Sie diese Mail an Ihren Bekanntenkreis weiter!

Noch ist nichts entschieden und bleibt alles möglich.

Jetzt muss gehandelt werden! The fight must go on!

Koordination http://www.stopbolkestein.org




Recent statements by Barroso, announcing a possible revision of the Bolkestein Directive by the Commission, sow doubts about the anticipated agenda. While these statements by the Commission’s President have been triggered by the growing pressure exerted by progressive forces within civil society, trade unions and political parties in Europe, we need to exercise caution ! We do not as yet know which direction this revision will take!

If the text goes back to the Commission drawing board, it is then up to us to make our voices heard by every possible means! As things stand, various committees within the European Parliament are studying the initial text of the draft Bolkestein Directive. This draft will be on the agenda of the Competitiveness Council of the 7th and 8th of March of this year. The date of June 2005, fixed by the Commission for its first reading before the European Parliament, remains unchanged.

Within this context, the Stop Bolkestein campaign is therefore as topical as ever!

Clearly, the more Europeans join forces against this draft Directive at grassroots level, the greater the chances of success of those fighting it within their national organs and/or within the European organs!

Therefore, on the sidelines of the spring European Council, the trade unions, associations, and social movements will be rallying together en masse in Brussels on the 19th of March. The slogans will bring up issues such as the Lisbon strategy, working time, employment, in short Social Europe and opposition to the draft Bolkestein Directive.

The http://www.stopbolkestein.org petition has also been relaunched! The site has been translated into 6 languages! To date, the site has collected over 35,000 individual signatures, garnered the support of over 100 organisations and generated around 10,000 paper signatures. A point by point explanation of the draft Directive is available on the site.

Send the http://www.stopbolkestein.org link to your entire address book !

Include it in your e-mails’ automatic signature!

Send this mail on to all your contacts !

The jury is still out and the outcome is yet to be decided.

The time has come to take action ! The fight must go on !

Coordination http://www.stopbolkestein.org

http://www.attac.de/19.maerz

Auf der Sonderseite zur Demo in Brüssel am 19. März http://www.attac.de/19.maerz findet sich inzwischen auch die Mitfahrbörse. Alle, die einen Platz nach Brüssel anbieten können, sowie die, die noch nicht wissen, wie sie nach Brüssel kommen sollen, sind herzlich gebeten, ihre Angebote bzw. Gesuche dort zu hinterlassen. Die Sonderseite wird auch täglich aktualisiert; unter "Neuigkeiten" (in der linken Navigation oben) findet sich inzwischen auch einiges zu Zeiten, Treffpunkten, Demorouten, Attac-Block und vieles mehr. Auf nach Brüssel - der neoliberalen EU die Zähne zeigen!

#118 WILD NORTHWEST, February 18, 2005
A Message from Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
=====Keeping the Northwest Wild=====

Protect the White Pass Roadless Area and the Pacific Crest Trail
Advocate for sustainable and responsible expansion of the White Pass Ski Area

The U.S. Forest Service is taking public comment on a proposal to further develop the White Pass Ski Area on the Gifford Pinchot and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests. Alternative 9 of the proposal would allow responsible expansion within the existing Special Use Permit (SUP) area, while keeping development out of the pristine White Pass Inventoried Roadless Area (also known as Hogback Basin). Expanding within the current SUP area would meet projected skier capacity, create new jobs that benefit local communities, and avoid harmful development of Hogback Basin.

Please send a letter supporting responsible and sustainable expansion that benefits local communities and protects our roadless forests. Send your comments by Tuesday, February 22. To use our quick action center, go to http://www.ecosystem.org/action/index.html?MessageTemplateID=3.

Surrounded by the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area, Hogback Basin is a unique backcountry winter recreation area with outstanding scenery, solitude, and gentle slopes ideally suited for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and winter camping. The White Pass Ski Company is asking to expand their resort into Hogback Basin. If granted, this new SUP would include two new ski lifts -- one crossing directly over the historic Pacific Crest Trail -- new ski lodge facilities, tree removal, and ATV access for construction and maintenance.

The White Pass Ski Area is the winter lifeblood of small Cowlitz Valley communities such as Packwood, and support for expansion is strong. Fortunately, it is possible to meet growing skier demand and create new jobs by increasing chair lift and ski run capacity within the existing Special Use Permit area, without harming Hogback Basin.

By February 22, use the action form above or address or fax below to contact:
Randall D. Shepard, District Ranger
Naches Ranger District
10237 U.S. Highway 12
Naches, WA 98937
509-653-2638 (fax)
comments-pacificnorthwest-wenatchee-naches@fs.fed.us

For background information, go to http://www.ecosystem.org/nationalforests/white_pass_background.html.

And thanks again for taking action to keep the Northwest wild!

Erin Moore
Communications Coordinator
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
1208 Bay St., Ste. 201
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.671.9950 ext. 24

*Call your Congress member in Washington, DC and demand they say NO WAY to another $82 billion for war and destruction.

*Call your Congress member’s district office and schedule a meeting during the Congressional recess next week to talk about the endless stream of money that’s being poured into Iraq.

Why is there ALWAYS money when it comes to war and NEVER enough when it comes to people’s basic human needs? This Monday George W. Bush asked for another $82 billion (!!!) for war and destruction in the form of an emergency supplemental funding request to Congress. $61 billion of the total is for the Iraq war, which would bring total spending on the war to almost $210 billion! This money is in addition to the $2.5 trillion budget request Bush made to Congress last week, which proposed to slash critical social programs and increase military spending.

If this isn’t enough to raise your blood pressure to CODEPINK alert level, consider these tidbits:

* While Bush is claiming that this money is needed to “support the troops”, his budget would slash veterans’ access to healthcare by increasing fees for prescription drugs and access to VA facilities, even as thousands of injured soldiers streaming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

*The amount of money that’s being spent on endless war could easily pay for the community programs – from public libraries to hospitals to train service – that are about to be eliminated because of state and local budget shortfalls. For concrete examples of what these war funds could pay for in your state or city, see http://www.nationalpriorities.org .

*There seems to be no accountability whatsoever for the $153 billion already appropriated for the Iraq war. That money didn’t go toward purchasing sufficient body armor and equipment for the U.S. troops, but it did go to line the pockets of Halliburton and its subsidiary KBR. The U.S. also can’t account for how it spent Iraq’s money – the Coalition Provisional Authority (the occupation authority in Iraq) “lost” $9 billion during its tenure.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

* Call the congressional switchboard right now, and ask to be connected with your representative, 202-224-3121 (9-5 EST). Tell her/him to 1) Oppose new funds: Congress should halt new funds for U.S. military operations in Iraq. Any new funds should be allocated solely for troop withdrawal and interim troop protection. 2) Support amendments to the appropriations bill that call for an end to the occupation and support Iraqi sovereignty. 3) Provide real support for our troops by ending the “stop loss” policy that’s the equivalent of a back-door draft and insisting on adequate health care and other benefits for Iraq war veterans and their families.

* Call the district office of your member of congress and schedule an in-district meeting. We want to show Congress members the opposition to war that exists in their home districts. Please call your Representative today and ask for a meeting during recess, between Feb. 21 and 25. We encourage you to collaborate with other peace groups in your community. Check to see if a meeting has already been scheduled in your district by going to
http://meetup.radicaldesigns.org/calendar_display.php?caltype=33

If no meeting is listed, please call your district office, make an appointment, and invite other peace groups in your area to attend the meeting with you. Be sure to post the information about your meeting on the United for Peace and Justice website calendar at
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/events (select the "$80 billion/Congressional visits" calendar category). You can find the district office information for your Representative here: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml .

Whether you get a meeting or not, take a list of questions (on pink paper, of course) to your Congress member’s office next week, during the Congressional recess, and demand some answers. See http://www.codepinkalert.org/Action_Alerts.shtml#q for some key questions.

This $82 billion is only going to lead to an ongoing U.S. military presence in Iraq, which is not the solution to Iraq’s security problems; it is part of the problem. Our soldiers are dying, Iraqis are dying, and things are much, much worse this year for regular Iraqis than they were at this time last year – elections or no elections. We can’t keep pouring money into this tragic mess. It’s time for us to stop the bungling and the interference and let the Iraqis find the solutions to the problems we’ve created.

In peace,

Andrea, Carol, Claire, Dana, Gael, Jodie, Medea, Tiffany
February 17, 2005 http://www.codepinkalert.org

#117 WILD NORTHWEST, February 15, 2005
A Message from Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
=====Keeping the Northwest Wild=====

Protect Endangered Mountain Caribou

Help avert a massive heli-ski proposal in inland temperate rainforest

A massive heli-ski operation proposed by BearPaw Heli-skiing for the Rocky Mountains east of Prince George, BC, would overlap prime wintering habitat for approximately one-quarter of the world's last remaining mountain caribou, putting at even higher risk the future of an animal more endangered than the black rhino. Winter is the most critical time for caribou survival, a season when they are under nutritional stress.

Please go to http://www.wildcanada.net/caribou by March 18 to send a free fax. (Although the web site says Feb. 11, the public comment date was recently extended to March 18.) Demand that the BC government protect mountain caribou and deny this 0.5 million hectare (1.25 million acre) recreation proposal on Crown (public) lands in Canada. Because the US is a key target market for tourism, it is helpful for the BC government to hear from Americans on these issues.

Uniquely adapted to the inland temperate rainforest of south-eastern BC and parts of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, mountain caribou are found nowhere else in the world. Logging of old-growth forests, historic over-hunting, and a sharp increase in backcountry recreation have resulted in a rapid decline of mountain caribou; today only 1,670 animals remain. In the last two years the BC government has engaged in a massive commercial give-away of BC's backcountry, granting tenures to snowmobile touring companies, heli-ski and heli-hike companies, back-country lodges, and huge resort proposals such as the Jumbo four-season alpine resort planned for the Purcell Mountains. The cumulative impacts on BC's wildlife and wild spaces is immense. Your voice today can help curtail these effects.

For more information on mountain caribou, visit http://www.mountaincaribou.org.
Find a map of current and historic mountain caribou range at http://www.forestethics.org/html/eng/894.shtml#map.

Please reply to this email to let us know that you sent a letter. And thanks for taking action to keep the greater Northwest wild!

"...substantial and continuing decline in the mountain caribou population is serious and requires urgent government attention."
~BC Forest Practices Board report, September 2004

"(t)he proposal as it stands continues to expose mountain caribou to high risk of environmental degradation and population decline."
~BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

Erin Moore
Communications Coordinator
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance
1208 Bay St., Ste. 201
Bellingham, WA 98225
360.671.9950 ext. 24

http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/commentary/digitaltv/digitaltv.html


Informant: ranger 116

Please take a moment to take action...After you're registered, it's even faster to participate for serious and important issues for our people.

"We The People" are on the move and our voice is getting louder by the moment...Please make your voice heard in this most urgent matter.

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h



PLEASE FORWARD TO INTERESTED FRIENDS

Dictators around the world throw people in jail for criticizing them. We in America are justly proud of the fact that we can say anything we want about our leaders without fear of legal punishment. It has even been said that we'll know Iraq is truly free when every Iraqi citizen can do the same.

Well, maybe they will reach that point in Iraq, but it's no longer true in America. The same elected leaders who are preaching, and taxing, and investing American lives to export freedom to the world, have also passed a law to make it illegal for American citizens to criticize their rulers.

Sadly, most American citizens remain blissfully ignorant of the fact that it is now illegal, on pain of imprisonment and large fines, to broadcast ads criticizing federal elected office holders by name within 60 days of an election without the equivalent of a government permit. This provision was one of the features of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, formerly known as McCain-Feingold.

This is a massive abuse of power. It is hypocritical. It is un-American. It must be overturned.

Fortunately, Representative Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), has provided us the means to do that. His "First Amendment Restoration Act" -- HR 46 - has been reintroduced in Congress. This bill would restore your right to criticize your elected leaders by any means you choose, at any time. It deserves your support.

Please go to
http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=17
and use our easy Electronic Lobbyist system to send a message to your Representative and your Senators asking them to co-sponsor HR 46. Then use our Tell-a-friend system to spread the word to others.

It's your right to free speech and your right to free press - use these rights or lose them.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.


Informant: Marsha

*February Marks Turning Point in Global Warming Struggle*

Global warming is the world's number one environmental problem.
But this month marks two big milestones in the fight to undo
global warming, in the United States and around the world.

First, Progress Around the World:

Starting today, the Kyoto Protocol goes into effect. More than
125 nations around the world are using the power of market-based
solutions to bring heat-trapping pollution under control.
Unfortunately, the United States, the world's largest greenhouse
gas polluter, is not on board. Much of the rest of the world is
already on track, cutting pollution with innovative technologies
and a carbon trading system.

Second, Progress In America:

The Climate Stewardship Act, just reintroduced in Congress, is
not the Kyoto Protocol. But it is a way for the country to do
its part in the fight to undo global warming. The bipartisan
bill would tackle global warming by making sensible and
affordable cuts in greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S. The
Climate Stewardship Act is the way for the U.S. to harness its
business acumen, ingenuity and technological prowess to deal
with the problem of global warming.

Climate Stewardship Act is Back - What You Can Do:

Momentum is growing to undo global warming. You and over 400,000
people have already signed the Emissions Petition, becoming
citizen co-sponsors of the Climate Stewardship Act. But we need
even more to convince Congress. Our goal is to get one million
citizen co-sponsors, and we need your help. Here's what you can
do:

1) Tell a friend. Send an email inviting friends, family, neighbors and others to sign the Emissions Petition:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/globalwarming_petition/forward/i5sxe849j8b86b

2) Send a personal reminder. You've already signed our petition
in support of the Climate Stewardship Act. Now, follow up and
remind President Bush and Congress that the U.S. needs to get in
front on the issue of global warming:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/csa_109/i5sxe849j8b86b

3) Help fund the campaign. Your donation will help pay for
petition canvassing, advertising, grassroots organizing and
old-fashioned Capitol Hill lobbying:
https://secure.environmentaldefense.org/donate/undoit/undoit_donate_1.cfm?pcd=2AX05AA001

4) Post a flyer. Post a global warming flyer on bulletin boards
in your community, explaining why this issue is so important and
what can be done about it:
http://actionnetwork.org/ct/d7aYwHs1TjCG/

* Global Warming Evidence Mounts *

- 2004 was the fourth warmest year on record. The 10 hottest
years on record have all occurred since 1990!

- Record heat waves responsible for some 26,000 deaths battered
Europe in the summer of 2003 -- the hottest on the continent
since Shakespeare's time at least. The scorching temperatures
caused over $16 billion in damages to agriculture and other
industries. Global warming has doubled the risk of events like
the 2003 heat wave, according to a recent paper published in the
prestigious scientific journal Nature.

- A massive ice shelf the size of Rhode Island broke off from
Antarctica in 2002. Rapidly warming temperatures on the
Antarctic Peninsula were blamed for the loss of the Larsen B Ice
Shelf.

- Alaska's worse fire year on record was 2004. A total of 703
fires consumed over 6.5 million acres of forest, an area the
size of Maryland. Global warming will increase the risk of more
intense, destructive wildfires.

* Global Warming: Undo It! *
The Climate Stewardship Act is before Congress again and
Environmental Defense is ramping up its Global Warming: Undo It!
campaign. Here's what we're doing:

- Renewing our push to secure one million signatures on our
Emissions Petition.
- Firing up grassroots efforts across the country and in swing
states
- Hitting the media with our message
- Releasing new scientific reports
- Boosting our lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and in state
legislatures

http://www.nlg.org/news/statements/DayOfOutrageLynne.htm


Informant: Yoshie Furuhashi

From ufpj-news