Huh?

From Analysis of California Republican Primary Survey: Issues

The vast majority of the Republican primary electorate supports a larger government role in fixing health care, improving education, and reducing global warming and dependence on foreign oil.

Torture for Money: ACLU Sues Boeing

This makes my annual membership fee worth it!

The American Civil Liberties Union announced this morning that it would sue a Boeing subsidiary in San Jose federal court today, alleging that the company helped the Central Intelligence Agency with "the forced disappearance, torture and inhumane treatment" of three men the government suspected of terrorist involvement.

"This is the first time we are accusing a blue-chip American company of profiting from torture," said ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner, who spoke about the case at a news conference in New York.

Since at least 2001, Jeppesen Dataplan Inc., of San Jose, "has provided direct and substantial services to the United States for its so-called 'extraordinary rendition' program, enabling the clandestine and forcible transportation of suspects to secret overseas detention facilities where they are placed beyond the reach of the law and subjected to torture and other forms of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment," the suit alleges.

"Publicly available records demonstrate that Jeppesen facilitated more than 70 secret rendition flights over a four-year period to countries where it knew or reasonably should have known that detainees are routinely tortured or otherwise abused in contravention of universally accepted legal standards," the suit states.

Voting Records

Recent Senate Votes
Supplemental Appropriations bill - Vote Agreed to (80-14, 6 Not Voting)

The Senate approved this $120 billion bill funding military operations in Iraq.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein voted YES......send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Barbara Boxer voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes
Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Vote Passed (284-141, 7 Not Voting)

This House bill would allow the President to declare an energy emergency for a specific period of time and make the sale of gasoline at "unconscionably excessive" prices a federal offense.

Rep. Adam Schiff voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Lobbying Transparency Act - Vote Passed (382-37, 13 Not Voting)

This bill would require lobbyists to disclose the names of donors when they "bundle" campaign contributions to Members of Congress.

Rep. Adam Schiff voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (396-22, 1 Present, 13 Not Voting)

This House bill would institute new lobbying reporting requirements and increase penalties for violating lobbying rules.

Rep. Adam Schiff voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Supplemental Appropriations bill, Amendment No. 1 - Vote Passed (348-73, 12 Not Voting)

The House split the emergency supplemental spending bill into two parts, with this first part including the domestic spending and minimum wage hike portions of the bill.

Rep. Adam Schiff voted YES......send e-mail or see bio

Supplemental Appropriations bill, Amendment No. 2 - Vote Passed (280-142, 11 Not Voting)

The House approved the $103 billion portion of the supplemental spending bill that funds military operations in Iraq.

Rep. Adam Schiff voted NO......send e-mail or see bio

SiCKO! - June 29th

We should plan to go. 2007 should be the year of Guaranteed Health care.

From Calitics:

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee is going to be hosting premiers for SiCKO across the country next June. We're so excited that I've read every single review published. The consensus: book the Oscar suite, it's a masterpiece. More importantly, the reviewers are stressing the non-partisan nature of the film and saying it will appeal to R's and D's; are treating health corporations as the pariahs they should be; and are examining the possibilities for action, organizing and change that this film contains. The film is already changing our national debate about healthcare and re-aligning healthcare politics---and it doesn't open FOR A MONTH.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee wants your input:

On an institutional level, the National Nurses Organizing Committee will also certainly use this film to bring together caregivers and patients at screenings, and inspire them to form the alliances and build momentum for genuine healthcare reform. Nurses in scrubs coming soon to your multiplex--watch for it.

But what else? This is a seminal moment for healthcare reform and we need your input on how activists can take advantage of it. Please brainstorm and let us know what you come up with!

Here is the Trailer:


And from Mr. Moore on his Cannes premiere:

At my festival press conference, the only negative word came from the Canadians. Two critics didn't like all the nice things I said about their health care system. Yes, Canadian health care has its flaws, but when I asked the two critics if they would exchange their health care cards for mine, they said "No!" Of course they wouldn't.

UPDATE

Well, I was wrong on one count, the final Iraq "Emergency" Supplemental does include an increase in the minimum wage.

The minimum wage portion of the legislation provides for a increase - over a two-year period - to $7.25 an hour from the current $5.15. The last time lawmakers increased the federal minimum wage was in 1997. (LINK)

That and tax breaks for small business:

A deal was finally brokered between House and Senate Democrats, giving $4.8 billion in tax breaks for small business.

And the President has signed it. And immediately everyone issued new talking talking points for the summer (LINK):

"Rather than mandate arbitrary timetables for troop withdrawals or micromanage our military commanders, this legislation enables our servicemen and women to follow the judgment of commanders on the ground," Bush said in a statement.

"I think the president's policy is going to begin to unravel now," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who expressed disappointment that the bill did not force an end to U.S. participation in the conflict.

"I think that the handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall, and I expect the president to lead it," McConnell said. "In other words, I think he, himself, has certainly indicated he's not happy with where we are. And I think we are looking for a new direction in the fall."

"We're going to keep coming back and coming back," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic caucus.

DEMS CAVE!

I am stunned, shocked, appalled, disappointed.

The Democrats have thrown in the towel, they've caved, they've capitulated, they have surrendered! W gets another blank check because there aren't enough Republicans in the Congress who would vote to overturn a veto and the Democrats are afraid to be seen as cutting off funding to the troops in Iraq. Rove and Bush have won another round of the public perception game and Harry Reid and Nancy Peolsi just announced they have been trumped. Worse still, I heard some talking head add that there won't even be any good progressive legislation attached to the Republican Bill that Bush will get to sign. No minimum wage increase, no repeal of that USAG "emergency" appointment process that by-passes Senate confirmation, no new taxes, no pork....

I sure hope Reid has something up his sleeve. He's fooled us all before. He is cleverer than we think....sometimes.

Perhaps total surrender at this point by Democrats will somehow translate into increased pressure on Republicans to have a plan in September. I doubt it. The public will have forgotten this whole event by then. Hey, maybe that's the point. Get this embarrassing moment behind them now. Depress their approval ratings as much as possible...yeah, that'll work.

But what if the new bill doesn't pass? What if our representatives defy the leadership and vote no? And how will you feel if your rep vote yes? After all, the Democrats have an actual majority in the House and could stop the process in it's tracks...and our representatives could pile up letters and phone messages on the floor saying their constituents have spoken and this what WE want. Then WE will be calling the presidents bluff and it will be his call and he will be responsible for the troops not getting their funding.

So Call or write today...now.

Congressmember Brad Sherman (818) 501-9200

Congressmember Howard Berman (818) 994-7200

Congressmember Adam Schiff (626) 304-2727

Congressmember Henry Waxman (323) 651-1040

A random thought

One thing I've noticed lately, that doesn't get much emphasis in the Main Stream News or in conversation with fellow democrats, is that Democrats, by and large, seem to be happy with nearly all our Presidential candidates and that Republicans seem to be unhappy with all theirs. I'm not sure if this improves our chances in 2008, but the feeling of being content with any of the 1st or 2nd tier candidates is in stark contrast to 2004. Even the the fighting between Obama and Clinton seems like much ado about nothing most of the time, while Republicans are drawing each others blood 8 months before even the first primaries.

SEIU Support Survey

Club Members received an email Saturday asking them to vote on whether or not the Club should add it's name to an Open Letter from the SEIU to St. Josephs Medical Center. As of 4pm Sunday, the results were 10 for and 1 against.

If you have any comments about this issue or about the voting process, please add it here. If you are a club member and did not receive the email, please send a note to TheClub@BurbankdemocraticClub.com and I'll make sure you're on the appropriate list.

CLEAN MONEY BILL UPDATE

I've taken this from www.calatics.com:

This is an absolutely enormous development. Clean Money got kind of lost in the shuffle at last weekend's CDP Convention, but Loni Hancock's AB 583 has been quietly making its way through the Assembly. It cleared the Assembly Elections Committee, and yesterday there was a hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which was favorable. And now, the Senate President pro Tem has signed on to be a co-author. Considering that the CDP wouldn't take a position on Clean Money just a year ago, this is historic news. Susan Lerner writes in an email to supporters:

I want you to be among the first to hear the exciting news: California Senate President pro Tem Don Perata just became a co-author of AB 583, the Clean Money bill!

The President pro Tem joins an ever-growing list of Legislators who are co-authors of AB 583, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act. Clean Money supporters in Senator Perata's Oakland district and throughout California should be proud because it was your calls, letters, and petitions that convinced him to sign on as a active Clean Money supporter.

As Mark Leno said in yesterday's Appropriation Committee hearing, "AB 583 is more than just a bill, it's a movement." Two years ago it was stopped in committee. Last year it cleared the Assembly. And this year, Perata's support will go a long way to helping it pass both houses and go on to the governor. This movement understands that the ability to wage fair and clean elections is vital to sustaining our democracy. You can join the movement working to clean up our political process here.