Action Alerts
Email this pageWILPF GOES TO COURT !!
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” - Upton Sinclair
On August 1st WILPF joined the Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy, Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County, Shays 2: The Western Massachusetts Committee on Corporations & Democracy, and the Clements Foundation in a friend of the court brief to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The brief, drafted and filed by attorney Jeff Clements in the case of Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission, represented all five organizations in urging the Supreme Court not to overturn laws preventing corporations from making political contributions in federal elections.
“The notion that corporations have the same speech rights as people under our Bill of Rights is contrary to the words, history, spirit and intent of our Constitution,” said attorney Jeff Clements. “The organizations that joined to bring these arguments to the Court have worked with others for many years to empower democratic self-government. They remind us that corporations do not vote, speak, or act as people do, but are products of government policy to achieve economic and charitable ends. As such, corporations need not be allowed to influence our elections if Congress and state governments judge that such influence is detrimental to democracy.”
Planning “Keep Space for Peace Week” October 4 to 12 2008
The U
Be Counted: Write to Your Local Newspaper
Shirley Lin Kinoshita, a life member of WILPF offers this advice:
I believe well written opinion letters to major news media have more impact than standing on street corners holding signs or singing to the converted few there. Remember to read and follow the editorial guidelines, and don't forget to include your organization or affiliation in your closing. The editors prefer the latter so they can keep your comments in context. I also include a website link as a courtesy for background checks.
Raging Grannies: Get Your Song on for Tax Day!
The following lyrics were submited by Pat Birnie of the Tucson Branch. She regrets not knowing the author of these lyrics. If you know who we should attribute this song to, please email us.
I’VE ALWAYS PAID MY TAXES (G)
(Tune: "Yellow Rose of Texas")
I’ve always paid my taxes,
I paid them right on time,
I never even cheated - I coughed up every dime.
But now I know my money goes
Straight over to Iraq
For bombs and tanks and missiles
And I WANT MY MONEY BACK!
I used to think my taxes went
Save Habeas Corpus Act
NOTE: November Scientific American has articles on nuclear weapons
Can you define torture? President Bush wasn't able to when he was asked this week. How reassuring is his claim that "We don't torture" if he can't say what it is that United States isn't doing?
According to the Justice Department, the U.S. is legally allowed to do things to prisoners that most people would consider torture. In a 2005 secret legal opinion that still defines government practice, the
From CLA- New generation of nuclear weapons coming for vote
The United States should be dismantling nuclear weapons, not building new ones. But instead, Congress will be voting soon on whether to approve the Bush Administration's latest request to pursue a new generation of nuclear weapons. Don't let the administration further devastate our nation by building a new, unneeded arsenal of civilization-shattering nuclear weapons. Please call your Senators and Representative to ask them to vote "no" on funding a new generation of nuclear weapons.
From WILPF Philadelphia Office-Support Lee Amendment in the House to bring troops home
Are you ready for U.S. troops to stop combat operations in Iraq and start packing their bags to come home?
Are you ready for them to bring all U.S. military contractors home with them?
Are you ready for Congress to stop funding the war and occupation and tell the Pentagon that they can only spend money to bring the troops safely home?
Then Call your Representative today Tell them to support the Lee Amendment to restrict pentagon spending in Iraq to funding only the safe withdrawal of U.S. troops and contractors by the end of this year at the latest.
Eye Alerts
| Click here to write your local papers about Eye Alerts! |
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Alerts on key issues facing Congress are sent to "EYE contacts" around the country from the WILPF in Washington office or the DISARM Eye on Congress committee on a regular basis. Click on the links below to read our current alert or past alerts on key disarmament issues.
Read more about the EYE on Congress project, or to become an Eye contact for your WILPF branch, please contact Val Mullen (vmullen@together.net)
WILPFers Attend and Meet-Up at the Obama Inauguration!
WILPF Co-Presidents Attend the Inauguration in Washington DC!
| WILPF Co-Presidents Nancy Munger and Laura Roskos attended the Obama Inauguration |
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WILPF Co- Presidents Laura Roskos and Nancy Munger attended President Barack Obama's Inauguration and arranged several opportunities for meet-ups with WILPFers.
Laura and Nancy displayed the WILPF banner and were wearing beautiful WILPF scarves - extras of which are available for you ($10/each).
The Co-Presidents were not only at the Inauguration as spectators, but also to advocate for WILPF's priorities for the Obama administration.
WILPF's eNewsletter sent out on Tuesday Jan 20th contained WILPF's full political agenda and link to WILPF's letter to Obama!
The photos to the right show Laura and Nancy doing their best to "shoo out" George W. Bush!
New US WILPF Statement on the War in Iraq and Iran
TO ALL CONGRESS PEOPLE
re: WAR in IRAQ and IRAN
We condemn and oppose the United States war and occupation of Iraq, which has caused the death of over 4,000 U.S. military personnel and over 1 million Iraqis. Untold numbers of combat troops have been physically and psychologically damaged. In addition there are over 5 million Iraqi refugees, which place a strain on the economies of the receiving countries. An estimated 1 million war widows work to eke out a living for their families.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days -- August 6 to 9
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Days -- August 6 to 9 -- are now almost upon us. The DISARM UPDATE has been carrying action and organizing resources since May. Report your plans to the WILPF DISARM committee for sharing with other Branches and on the national event register. Check out our Hiroshima-Nagasaki Days and Nuclear Free Future Month page for items you can use, including a petition from the Burlington WILPF Branch calling on Congress to declare August 6 national Nuclear Disarmament Day. We plan to deliver it to Congress in September.
WILPF is also co-sponsoring the United For Peace and Justice national web site and event register now available at http://www.nuclearfreefuture.org/ . You will find there many additional resources, action ideas, and a place where you can enter plans for your own events and read descriptions of others. In addition WILPF has joined UFPJ in designating the whole of August as Nuclear Free Future month. So we can join many others the whole month long in collecting petitions, vigiling, asking questions of candidates, joining in legislative action, educating ourselves and our communities and finding ways to lift high our demands for nuclear disarmament. This is the right time!
Click here to download the Nuclear Disarmament Day petition in pdf format
Alert-From FCNL-Invest in Peace Action
There is a need for a dramatic increase in spending on the civilian
instruments of national security - diplomacy, strategic communications,
foreign assistance, civic action, and economic reconstruction and
development."
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaking at Kansas State University,
11/26/07
From FCNL-Take Action on Diplomacy
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to require the president to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq within 30 days and set a goal for withdrawal of most combat troops by the end of 2008. The bill would also ban the use of torture in interrogations, direct the administration to seek regional stability in conversation with Iraq's neighbors, and prohibit the U.S. from building permanent military installations in Iraq. But the bill, which provides $50 billion in additional funding for war, will never become law because President Bush will veto it and Congress does not have enough votes to override the president's veto.
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