SCORE: Western States United to Bypass Bush on Global Heating

It's a start:

Western States United: "Five Western U.S. states have formed the latest regional pact to bypass the Bush administration to cut emissions linked to global warming through market mechanisms.

The Western Regional Climate Action Initiative requires Oregon, California, Washington, New Mexico and Arizona to develop a regional target in six months for reducing greenhouse emissions according to statements from the states' governors."

What's more important is how activists use the opportunity. Thoughts?

Paul Craig Roberts: How the World Can Stop Bush

Bush will not come stop tempting fate with Iran, especially since Saudi princes are supporting him. So, how can Bush be stopped? Here's one idea...

How the World Can Stop Bush: "The US is totally dependent upon foreigners to finance its budget and trade deficits. By financing these deficits, foreign governments are complicit in the Bush Regime's military aggressions and war crimes. The Bush Regime's two largest lenders are China and Japan. It is ironic that Japan, the only nation to experience nuclear attack by the US, is banker to the Bush Regime as it prepares a possible nuclear attack on Iran.

If the rest of the world would simply stop purchasing US Treasuries, and instead dump their surplus dollars into the foreign exchange market, the Bush Regime would be overwhelmed with economic crisis and unable to wage war. The arrogant hubris associated with the 'sole superpower' myth would burst like the bubble it is.

The collapse of the dollar would also end the US government's ability to subvert other countries by purchasing their leaders to do America's will.

The demise of the US dollar is only a question of time. It would save the world from war and devastation if the dollar is brought to its demise before the Bush Regime launches its planned attack on Iran."

Okay, not a new idea, or something home-grown activists can do alone...but it's a start.
Got a better idea?

Let's hear it (really). Something has to be done so we might as well air all the ideas and see what we can make of them...

Undervote Rate Plummets in Minority Precincts When Paper Ballot Used

For Immediate Release

Contacts:
Ellen Theisen Theron Horton
360-437-9922 505-751-4106
ellen@vote-pad.us theronhorton@mac.com

*Undervote Rate Plummets in Minority Precincts
After New Mexico Changes to All Paper Ballots*

A new report, based on official 2004 and 2006 New Mexico election data, shows a dramatic difference in undervotes in Native American and Hispanic precincts, depending on whether they voted on paper ballots or on Direct Record Electronic (DRE - often known as touch screen) voting machines.

The report explains: "Undervotes represent ballots on which no vote was registered for a specific contest. Undervote rates higher than 0.5% in the major contest on a ballot, especially in presidential elections, suggest that votes may not have been counted, either through a mistake of the voter or a mistake in tabulation."

The report shows that in predominantly Native American and predominantly Hispanic precincts, undervote rates were abnormally high (7.61% and 6.33% respectively) in the 2004 presidential race, when the votes were cast on DREs.

In 2006, after the state changed to all optically scanned paper ballots, the undervote rates for Governor in those same precincts plummeted by 85% in Native American areas and by 69% in predominantly Hispanic precincts.

In Anglo precincts, undervote rates of ballots cast on DREs were about the same level as the rates for paper ballots - 2.22% and 1.75% respectively.

"We were looking for any impact the change to paper ballots may have had on New Mexico's historically high undervote rate. When we found the dramatic drop in Native American precincts, we were shocked," said Theron Horton, Project Manager for Election Defense Alliance. "Something was going on with the DREs in those precincts in 2004."

"When Warren Stewart, Policy Director of VoteTrustUSA, and I did the analysis of New Mexico's 2004 vote data two years ago, we found high undervote rates in the minority precincts," said Ellen Theisen, President of Vote-PAD, Inc. and former Executive Director of VotersUnite.Org. "But we didn't do a complete comparison of paper ballot undervotes to the DRE undervotes in that election. When I heard of Theron's work, I performed the comparison, and found that it's the paper ballots that made the difference in the minority precincts."

Read the two-page report here: (http://www.votersunite.org/info/NM_UVbyBallotTypeandEthnicity.pdf)

Download the data here: (http://www.votersunite.org/info/2006NMSelectedData.xls.)

DO NOT SUPPORT MOVEON, VOTETRUST USA, COMMON CAUSE, OR PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY ON THE HOLT BILL!!!

From VelvetRevolution.us and PDA...

Ask Congress to amend Holt Bill HR 811

Yesterday, Cong. Maxine Waters, an original co-sponsor of the Holt bill, stated publicly that she would be withdrawing her support of the bill and working for amendments.

We urge everyone to sign this new blast demanding that the Holt bill be amended.

Click here to see the Essential Revisions
http://www.votersunite.org/info/HR811EssentialRevisions.htm

Send an email to your Congressperson
http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=9406781&type=CO

In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the poll tax to be unconstitutional.

The purchase of electronic voting machines is like the poll tax, but it requires that voters pay to be disenfranchised, rather than paying to vote.

Election after election, thousands of reports show that Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting machines are disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters across the country. Voters are confused over how to use them. They stand in line for hours because the machines are broken down, or they leave because they don't have time to wait. Poll workers, even with careful training, don't know how to help when something goes wrong, and something often does.

When all seems to go well, there is still serious doubt whether their votes are counted correctly. The fact is, sometimes they haven't been counted at all.

Study after study shows that adding a voter-verified paper trail to DREs simply adds more bells and whistles to a fundamentally flawed technology, requiring taxpayers to pay even more for their own disenfranchisement.

It's time for Congress to stop States from violating the civil rights of American voters. It's time for Congress to put a stop to the use of DREs.

Email your Representative and insist that they amend Representative Holt's bill, HR 811, to ban DREs from use in the United States and to require real paper ballots, marked by the voter or by a non-tabulating ballot-marking device, in every federal election.

INCOMING: Hawk Lieberman Going Republican?

WorldNetDaily: War vote could make Lieberman Republican: "Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut said today while he has no immediate plans to become a Republican, he might change his mind if Democrats oppose funding the war in Iraq." And then he'll step in to the presidential 2008 race as a Republican contender!

Karl Rove: "Pssst--hey Joe, about thle talk we had last year--about 2008? We've got a little deal for you..."

Power-broker Scaife Rethinks Bill Clinton and LIKES HIM??!!!

I just thought the wingers lurking here would like to see this:

As Clinton Runs, Some Old Foes Stay on Sideline - New York TimesBack when Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was first lady, no one better embodied what she once called the “vast right-wing conspiracy” than Richard Mellon Scaife.

Mr. Scaife, reclusive heir to the Mellon banking fortune, spent more than $2 million investigating and publicizing accusations about the supposed involvement of Mrs. Clinton and former President Bill Clinton in corrupt land deals, sexual affairs, drug running and murder.

But now, as Mrs. Clinton is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, Mr. Scaife’s checkbook is staying in his pocket.

Christopher Ruddy, who once worked full-time for Mr. Scaife investigating the Clintons and now runs a conservative online publication he co-owns with Mr. Scaife, said, “Both of us have had a rethinking.”

For the rest of America I am speechless, but do want to point out an excellent argument for why We the People need to reduce the Power Class both in size and effect. Because one super-rich power broker didn't like Clinton, it cost you a national health care system and a president.

Addtionally, I'm not totally buying the revelation. I want to know what ex-Republican-Clinton has up her sleeve; remember NAFTA, CAFTA and media consolidation? Bill Clinton's support payment for the coffers that put him in office? We know how that's working for you (well, most of you). Who (beside Rupert Murdoch) has a vested interest in Clinton?

Otherwise, you do the math.

The $2 a Day Challenge

The folks over on the Yahoo Compact list find the most interesting ways to challenge consumerism (I like to say they are learning to live off the consumer grid).

This week perusing the messages I found a British group challenging itself to live on only $2 a day for groceries. For some people that may be something one is already doing, but for many in the US, that would be a challenge indeed.

You can read the motivations for taking the challenge on the $2 a day challeng website. I'm going to give it a shot myself:

The $2 a day challenge - What: "Put very simply, the challenge is to try and live
for one week on only $14 worth of food.

This sounds really hard, but it is totally possible (we promise!) by cooking your own meals from basic cheap food stuffs like pasta, rice, potatoes and veg. It is not a fast or starvation diet (apologies to Kate Moss) it is a chance to find out how the other half live - the half of the world that has to live on less than $2 a day.

So why would you want to do this? Three reasons:

* You can learn how to cook really cheap meals for your self
* It's a unique way to find out what it is like to live in poverty - connect with the statistics!
* Have fun socialising and cooking with new people"

Vultures Visit Action Point

Well, among other things, this Sunday we'll be discussing (with Greg Palast) that sucking sound you hear-- "vultures"-- getting the interest taxpayers (that would be you) "forgave" in debt relief to poverty stricken countries. Oh, and what else? Those vultures are also top contributors to Bush AND Giulliani's presidential campaign. You don't say...so, we will.

Matt Pascarella: "Citing Democracy Now! / BBC Broadcast, Rep. John Conyers Confronts Bush and Demands Investigation of Vulture Funds
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about how your meeting went with the President yesterday?

REP. JOHN CONYERS: Well, we talked essentially about Iraq, Katrina and the domestic breakdown that's going on right now. But it was my job, I felt, to raise the whole question of this bond speculation that goes on at the expense of poor debtor countries, in which their debt is bought up and then they're sued for the full amount. It’s bought up at pennies on the dollar, and then they're sued. And I wanted to thank you [BBC Newsnight] for revealing this to us, because it allowed me to ask President Bush two questions: one, about Paul Singer and Michael Sheehan; and two, whether he would be willing to stop this incredible misuse of our government’s charity toward funding aid to our poorer nations.

JUAN GONZALEZ: And what was the President's response to your questions?

REP. JOHN CONYERS: His response was, “I didn't know anything about this.” And he assigned a staffer to get on it right away. And so, it's our position that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Comity Doctrine brought from our Constitution allows the President to require the courts defer in individual suits against foreign nations. And so, we're conducting a couple of things. First of all, we want to know where these practices are going on at the present time, and, two, how we can get this information to President Bush so that he can, as he indicated to us, stop it immediately."

Also, Jeffrey Feldman joins us to discuss the 2008 presidential campaign framing wars already shaping up by way of attacks on campaign bloggers (?) and Republicans shopping you a culture of violence!

Mississippi Mission Makes a Mark

Well done, Sean. Well done all who contributed.

Arizona group donates to hurricane recovery: "A group from Arizona spread Valentine's Day wishes in Jackson County with two moving trucks full of donations and a stack of handmade cards for a Gautier kindergarten class.

A radio station in Phoenix, Ariz., 1480 KPHX, spearheaded a month-long drive for furniture and other household items after Executive Producer Sean Ryan heard about the area's needs through Jim Yancey, executive director of the Jackson County Community Services Coalition.

Ryan asked Yancey for a list of needs one day while Yancey was a guest on his radio show."

Now, what's next?

The Ten Percent Solution

Sitting in one of the Arizona election integrity groups to which I belong (in this case ACER) discussing fund-raising it occurs to me again the idea I have been meaning to bring up on Action Point as a solution to such problems: The Ten Percent Solution i.e. a 10% tithe.

Why not?

Churches traditionally count on an understood 10% contribution from members of church flocks as part of their "working capital", why wouldn't activists whose least contribution of their work is invested in furthering what I think could be called their "spiritual" mission--whether the intended outcome is environmental, legislative, economic--in the service of a greater good (think secular humanism if you must).

So, why not each of us tithe 10% of our incomes annually to those progressive issues, activist organizations or even sponsorship of talk shows (like mine, yes) blogs (like Bradblog.com. etc.) journalists (Greg Palast has an investigative fund from which his investigative staff is supported) et al. It's your money of course, but the concept has been working for mostly one institutional group so far, but it's at least one way to move progressive interests forward, at least until liberals shift their thinking from the traditional per-issue funding models that have failed us in the past.

Why not indeed.

The Biggest Market Failure the World Has Ever Seen

Has anybody shown the blowhard whose yapping maw personally contributes more to global gas than any 5 continents of carbon-emitting fuel use to date (that would be Rush Blowhard)?

"The Biggest Market Failure the World Has Ever Seen": "Sir Nicholas Stern’s report, the Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change, broke new ground by making the best possible estimate of two critical costs:

What will it cost to deal with climate change now?

What will it cost if we do NOT deal with climate change now?

The Stern Review concluded that the cost to the world economy for dealing with climate change now would be 1% of the global domestic product.

But the cost of NOT dealing with climate change now was considerably higher, at least 5%, and perhaps as high as 20% of the global domestic product."

Oh yeah, you're right. It's not that Rush Blowhard doesn't get global heating, it's that he's a willing proponent investing in it!

Two Years Ago Today...

...the Barbara Boxer Rose Campaign resulted in nearly 5000 roses arriving in Barbara Boxer's Senate office!

The campaign was intended by its originator Stacy Davies as a quiet, personal expression of thanks. Well, that was Stacy's vision, and then I got hold of it and gave it a name...and diaried it on dKos...and then it became the large, bright personal expression of every netroots soon-to-be-known as transparent election advocate, nation-wide. And even Senator Boxer liked it.

See? What personal commitment, passion and focus can accomplish when applied from even the least of us (like me) alone, and then with others, together?

Therefore, I'd like to take this day to rethank Barbara Boxer for having the spine to stand up for us--the election integrity community--when nobody else would, after the worst and most contested election outcome in Democratic memory. She was our first champion, and with our commitment and effort, she is not the last!!

And I want to thank you, from every committed activist to every impassioned once-a-year contributor. Every day you walk the talk you seed our only salvation; the truth.

I Hate It When That Happens!

I'm a little irked right now.

This Sunday's show was sooo good. A great guest visit from an election integrity activist that I rarely have the extra radio time for, Paul Lehto (one of the country's TOP FIVE experts able to interpret election reform legislation in real-world outcome terms). Sadly, more than half of the audio was not properly recorded by the engineer at the KPHX studio for his segment and is now lost forever. Unless you know someone who happened to record it that is...if so, puh-lease let me know so I can add it to the archive which as of now is sadder for the loss... (it would be segment two of the broadcast).

I guess I'll just have to get over it (argh).

Elizabeth de la Vega was interesting and her book, United States v. George W. Bush et al, I really do think, is an important read (and her segment is entirely intact). But make up your own mind and if you don't want to plunk down the bucks for her book, at least get by the library and if it's not on the shelves, ask your librarian to order it (often he or she will).

The Action Point list for this week was pretty meaty (and again sadly, without the archive audio from Paul Lehto you won't have much background on those suggestions from which to work but I know you'll 'make do'...).

Election Integrity advocates:

1. Get familair with the the current Holt (revised) bill by visiting Black Box Voting and reviewing all the sections with comments.
2. Spend some time over at Democratic Underground. Paul Lehto blogs under the moniker "landshark" (don't ask me...)
3. Keep in mind that the key phrase that reflects what citizens most need is "oversight"
4. Want to speak with Paul directly? Really. You can call him at 425-422-1387.

Impeachment Advocates:

1. Take a look at de la Vega's book United States v. George W. Bush et al.
2. For framing advocates interested in discussing the topic with folks and seeking the best language for presenting your position, check out "Talking With Your Friends About Impeachment" at Progressive Action Alliance
3. For those wishing more resources for direct action de la Vega suggests a visit to afterdowingstreet.org
4. She also suggests that if you want impeachment to seriously move forward work on bringing resolutions for impeachment in front of your town council
5. and...encourage congress to take up the matter--they are waiting for an outpouring from their constituents--they do after all, represent you!

Listen here!

ACTION ALERT: Immediate: ARIZONA: Election Reform

From John Brakey AUDITAZ...

Friends of Election Integrity:

We fought hard for the manual audit to protect the integrity of our elections but we need a stronger law. SB1623 (PDF file) remedies some of the most blatant problems with the language of SB1557 from last session.

Senate Bill 1623 is on the AZ Senate Judiciary Agenda for Monday February 12, 2007, 1:30 PM. Support this bill. Make comments and state your position on the request to speak section of www.azleg.gov. You do not have to go to the hearing to state your support but you do need an account. You can set up an account at the State Capitol kiosks in both the House and the Senate buildings. If you had a previous account, it should still be active. There are about 25 bills on this agenda so it could be a long hearing. The hearing starts at 1:30 PM in Senate Hearing Room 1. There is free parking at Welsey Bolin Memorial Park on either the Washington or Jefferson side just east of 17th Avenue. You can avoid the construction by taking I-17 south to Jefferson or if you live East you can take I-10 east to I9th Avenue (map attached).

Be there if possible or contact members of the committee and ask them to support passage of the legislation. Senator Karen Johnson is the sponsor and she is on the committee. Both Republicans and Democrats need to be educated on this issue. Election Integrity is not a partisan issue. The Arizona Citizens for Election Reform is nonpartisan and supports SB1623.

If you do not like a portion of the bill, suggest that you would support it if amended but the manual audit being completed (not optional) and a minimum of four races counted on every ballot randomly chosen is our fundamental goal. The bill can be amended on the floor or in the AZ House.

SB1623 Highlights--

* The manual audit must be done regardless of whether the political parties provide enough hand counters.
* Requires four races be audited on every ballot randomly chosen and the presidential race when on the ballot.
* Specifies the criminal penalty of a class 3 felony instead of a class 4 felony for counterfeiting election results through electronic means or otherwise.
* Addresses the problem of early-ballot results being released before the election.

Contact info for the AZ Senate Judiciary Committee:

Chuck Gray, cgray@azleg.gov ,602-926-5288
Ron Gould, rgould@azleg.gov , 602-926-4138
Ken Cheuvront, kcheuvront@azleg.gov , 602-926-5325
Albert Hale, ahale@azleg.gov . 602-926-4323
Karen Johnson, kjohnson@azleg.gov . 602-926-3160
Richard Miranda, rmiranda@azleg.gov . 602-926-5911
Jim Waring, jwaring@azleg.gov ,602-926-4916


SB1623 (PDF)

Bush's Game of Chicken Grows to Hawk Proportions

I was sent this link by a listener asking, "Where are the Democrats?":

Think Progress � U.S. sending third carrier strike group to Gulf.: "At least one former White House official contends that some Bush advisers secretly want an excuse to attack Iran. “They intend to be as provocative as possible and make the Iranians do something [America] would be forced to retaliate for,” says Hillary Mann, the administration’s former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf Affairs. …

A second Navy carrier group is steaming toward the Persian Gulf, and NEWSWEEK has learned that a third carrier will likely follow. Iran shot off a few missiles in those same tense waters last week, in a highly publicized test. With Americans and Iranians jousting on the chaotic battleground of Iraq, the chances of a small incident’s spiraling into a crisis are higher than they’ve been in years."

I have a question; if you are a Democrat, where in fact are you? Let me know who YOU are contacting. And if you are not a Democrat, but an alarmed citizen, I ask the same question.

We can't demand populist democracy and then sit on our hands waiting for the representatives we elected to read our minds. If the man who committed FRAUD on the American government (more on that soon) to stage a preemptive war against Iraq to gain access to a Middle East platform, used your vulnerability and silence to further his aims, what do you think he's doing with your complacency now?

More then ever, silence = death, and it is YOUR death this time.

Brad Friedman in The AP House!

Yesterday on Action Point Brad Friedman of Bradblog.com joined me to guest host another over-too-fast show! We caught up with John Brakey, Arizona election integrity activist and founder of AUDIT-AZ. org. If you didn't know, Arizona's Democratic Party has become the first in the country with a standing Election Integrity Committee compelling the state party to integrate election integrity into the party platform--kudos Arizona!

Sandy Clark, a Compacter on his way from recycling friendly SF to "re-what? territory Missouri, checked in as part of Action Point's year-long tag-along with he and his family as they solve the challenges of buying nothing new this year....

Greg Palast explains the Saddamization of Hugo Chavez in The Palast Report and Brad ruined my show (as he put it) with his personal brand of loose-cannon skepticism (think "poo-rags"). That's all I can tell you. Listen here.

In New Orleans, Dysfunction Fuels Cycle of Killing

And Mr. Bush, your mention of Katrina in the SOTU address...I missed it?

In New Orleans, Dysfunction Fuels Cycle of Killing - New York Times: "There were 161 homicides in this city last year, and there have been 18 so far this year, making New Orleans by most measures the nation’s per capita murder capital, given its sharply reduced population. Many of the victims and the suspects are teenagers. About two-thirds of the deaths have gone unsolved: the killers, in many cases, continue to walk the streets and are likely to kill again, the police say.

Other cities have plenty of murders. But only in New Orleans has there been the uniquely poisoned set of circumstances that has led to this city’s position at the top of the homicide charts. Every phase of the killing cycle here unfolds under the dark star of dysfunction: the murderers’ brutalized childhoods, the often ineffectual police intervention, a dulled community response, and a tense relationship between the police and prosecutors that lets many cases slip through the cracks.

Hurricane Katrina’s devastation loosened the fragile social restraints even further, making the city perhaps more dangerous than ever.

The storm also pushed a teetering criminal justice system over the edge. The evidence in hundreds of criminal cases was lost, and the flood destroyed the police crime lab, which has not been rebuilt. Often, drugs cannot be tested at other locations before the deadline for bringing charges. Yet the police are trying to stop the violence by arresting more drug users and street dealers, many of whom are quickly released, spinning the jail door faster than ever and fueling the carnage."

Make Bush Pay For The War With Higher Taxes

Indeed, why not?

Exxon reaped the highest profit for a corporation in American history--toppping its own "Biggest Profiteer in the World" status last year!

Yet the rest of us (the other 99%!?) are getting nothing except a reduction in social-net programs (even returning vets) and rising health care costs!

So yes--

Make Bush Pay For The War With Higher Taxes: "There are a lot of ways to force a 'pay-go' provision. My own favorite: when the appropriation reaches the Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel, the chair of the committee (who has also pushed legislation to re-institute a military draft), could attach an amendment stating that every dollar has to be paid for by hiking the taxes of the top one percent of the country, effectively rolling back the Bush tax cuts for the very rich. As I've pointed out before, the top 1 percent--those who pull in at least $1.3 million a year--will pocket more than $347 billion in the next four years if Congress does not roll-back the tax cuts. According to data from Citizens for Tax Justice, if Congress just rolled back the tax cuts on that top 1 percent for just 2007 and 2008, it would reap $136 billion--probably enough to cover the costs of the emergency supplemental request for this year (a stunning number on its own). In fact, the White House's new budget proposal seeks to--surprise!!!--preserve the tax cuts for the rich.

What would the president and Republicans say then? No, we won't ask the richest people in the country, who have carried virtually none of the sacrifice of the war and occupation, to pay up? Indeed, while working-class and poor American of all races have been dying and suffering grave wounds on the battlefield, the top one percent has been pocketing staggering amounts of money. Under such a condition for passing the supplemental, I'd wager the authorization for that money would be dead in the water."

HT--Daily Kos

Florida to Shift Voting System With Paper Trail!!!

CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA!!! Your votes and elections may be verifiable by 2008!

Florida to Shift Voting System With Paper Trail: "Gov. Charlie Crist announced plans on Thursday to abandon the touch-screen voting machines that many of Florida’s counties installed after the disputed 2000 presidential election. The state will instead adopt a system of casting paper ballots counted by scanning machines in time for the 2008 presidential election."

Democrat(ic) or DIE!!!

I hear it all the time, creeping into the sentences of strong Democratic fighters all the time: "The Democrat party..." "The Democrat plan...", "...when the Democrat party...".

What's missing? Sadly, it's the "IC" factor. The two letters on the end of a noun that convert it to an adjective! And that wouldn't be all that bad were it just more abuse to the already marketing-bloodied language developed through the 90's (don't get me started).

What IS worse is that every time a Democrat uses the descriptor of the party as a noun in place of an adjective, NEWT GINGRICH WINS!!! FRANK LUNTZ WINS!!! The Republican strategists who are working to dismantle the DemocratIC party, until 'it' -- the proxy for Big Government -- is small enough to drown in a bathtub!

Read this post by Jeffrey Feldman:

"'The history of “Democrat Party” [slur] is hard to pin down with any precision,' wrote Hendrik Hertzberg in a great piece called 'The 'Ic' Factor' that appeared last summer in New Yorker (8 Aug 2007). It may be hard to pin down, but Hertzberg does a fantastic job.

While the insult seems to go all the way back to the Harding administration, Hertzberg points to Senator Joseph McCarthy as the man who gave this particular insult legs. Bob Dole picked it up again briefly in the 1970s. But the real source of late is right-wing talk radio and TV media--not surprising since they are the, essentially, the voice of McCarthyism brought back from dead.

And who was responsible for making sure that this 'needle' became standard practice? Why, none other than Frank Luntz--the con artist for hire who created all the double-speak lies for the Republican Party from Newt Gingrich on forward. "

About Last Night...

...the Peter B. Collins (PBC) "Bradcast" live from the Pipefitter's Union (as advertised in a previous post here) did not happen. Hall was packed. All attendees present and accounted for, but that pesky interface known as a TELEPHONE LINE was not cooperating. Don't ask.

Professional that he is Brad made it down to the KPHX studios where the able KPHX engineer Ian pulled it out--with of course Brad's FABU producer Desi (BTW, Desi is a renowned commercial actor and I know a commercial she's been in that plays all THE TIME--and you don't)!

Anyway for FOUR glorious hours, as Brad covered the last of the PBC show on PBC's affiliate stations and then covered all THREE hours of Mike's Malloy's national and Sirius-cast show (Mike was feelin' under the weather) Arizona Election Integrity activist's accomplishments became known nation-wide!

If you didn't hear it worry not. KPHX caught all four hours and if we're lucky, Brad will post the show on his site sometime in the near future.

Oh, and yours truly (me) was invited to spend the last segment on-air with Brad spreading my fabulous laugh nation-wide and inviting all listening to join Brad with me on Action Point this Sunday!

Jeez, this week it's an on-air Bradapalooza!

"Immigrants Without Borders" Sponsors Fast

Activists Plead to a Higher Power for Immigration Reform

Thursday February 1st, 2007
Phoenix, AZ

Since last Monday at noon, a group of Arizona Activists have been fasting in downtown Phoenix with the purpose of calling attention to the plight of thousands of immigrants that die in the desert in their attempt to come to this country to do the jobs Americans are not willing to perform.

A group of 8 local activists will go without food until Monday February 5 and hope that this will be a catalyst for Congress to enact humane reforms that will allow millions to come out of the shadows.

The event is spread headed by Inmigantes Sin Fronteras (Immigrants Without Borders) a pro-immigrant grass roots organization based in the Phoenix area. Members of different religious communities and human rights advocates are also part of this effort and they are asking people to join them in prayer as well as in lobbying congress and the senate to accelerate the passage of legislation such as the DREAM ACT that will allow deserving students to stay in this country and enhance the competitiveness of our nation, and Comprehensive Immigration Reform which will put a stop to the deaths of people in the desert and provide a path to legalization to the millions of people already in this country.

“This is a different tactic that we are pursuing this week, said Santos Ortiz, President of Inmigrantes Sin Fronteras. “We are lobbying the almighty for his divine intervention. We know that we can put our trust in him”.

No More Deaths is among the organizations showing support for this effort. No More Deaths is an ecumenical organization started in Arizona in 2003 as a response to the failed US immigration policies. It has volunteers in the US as well as in several parts of Mexico with the purpose of Feeding migrants, performing humanitarian campaign work and getting Samaritans out in the desert to provide aid to migrants.

The fasting is taking place at the north west intersection of 1st Avenue and Grant. People are invited to join them between the hours of 9 AM to 9 PM everyday.
“We are confident that this sacrifice will yield positive results” stated Elias Bermudez, Founder of Inmigrantes Sin Fronteras. “We believe this will soften the hearts of politicians. Justice is on our side and victory will be ours.”

For more information contact:

Elias Bermudez
eldovar@hotmail.com
602-763-9197

Marcos Garcíaacosta
Marcos_Garciaacosta@yahoo.com
602-317-0035