My family and I have given much to the U.S. military. I served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1975, as a member of the 1st Armory division, 7th Cavalry, and a member of the elite TVY Ski Patrol. My father was a career officer with the USAF and a flight engineer with the Strategic Air Command.
That's why I have followed with great interest the debate over funding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter II program and urge you to strongly fight for full funding of this project.
This is a very difficult time for all representatives as they consider budget cuts proposed for a wide variety of federal programs. A strong national defense is one of the federal government's prime Constitutional obligations, and I hope our representatives in Congress will keep the support of our military men and women paramount in mind when considering future budget cuts.
The F-35 will replace a 20 year old fleet of fighter planes with aircraft that possesses the very latest technology - making them more deadly in combat, cheaper to operate over the life of the plane, and safer for our pilots.
The technology embodied in the F-35 will allow the U.S. to maintain its dominance in the area of defense technology, while making our troops - and those of our partners around the world who are participating in this project - safer and more effective in an array of battle conditions that they may encounter around the world.
I urge Senator Feinstein, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and all our representatives in Congress, to support full funding of this program that will be so crucial to the success of our military in the years to come.
The California League of Conservation Voters has once again proven itself to be the mouthpiece for Demcoratic Incumbents. A more appropriate name for this organization might be the Conservation League of Democratic Party.
Nothing underscores this more than the manner in which they have lauded Sen. Feinstein with her 100% score, as pointed out by Dan Bacher.
(Posted by Steve Smith, California Labor Federation) Sen. Dianne Feinstein is going to hear from both sides in the debate over the Employee Free Choice Act this week, but there couldn't be a more stark contrast in the messenger.
Corporate executives from around the country are attending a lobbying junket to DC on Wednesday organized by the Chamber of Commerce in hopes of persuading Feinstein to join them in opposing labor law reform.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, workers who have been fired or intimidated simply for trying to join a union will gather to begin a two-day fast Wednesday morning at Feinstein's office to implore her to stand with them by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act.
As the negotiations and wrangling over the bill continue, Feinstein has emerged as a key player. While initially expressing skepticism about the bill (even though she was a co-sponsor of identical legislation in 2007), Feinstein is working with Sen. Harkin and others on seeking a solution that would garner the 60 votes needed for cloture. While political viability is important, the real consideration here must be on how the legislation would help the millions of workers who want a union to better their lives and the lives of their families.
To that end, we must have a bill that would do three things:
Ensure workers have the freedom to join a union, without harassment and intimidation;
Increase penalties on corporations that violate the law by firing or threatening workers;
Provide a timely and fair process for a first contract.
Without meeting those principles, the bill won't be worth the paper it's printed on. The next few weeks are critical. With Al Franken expected to be seated soon (knock on wood), the negotiations over the Employee Free Choice Act are headed into overdrive. And that means corporate honchos are going to be leaning heavily on key Senators like Feinstein in a last-ditch effort to derail the bill. And while Washington is a lot bluer than it used to be, make no mistake, corporations still have a stranglehold on power in our nation's capitol.
CEOs like Lee Scott of Wal-Mart have said they'll do whatever it takes to prevent the Employee Free Choice Act from passing. They're spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a dishonest campaign to defeat the bill. We can't let them succeed because the fate of this bill is intrinsically tied to the fate of the middle class. While CEOs are fighting to protect their multi-million dollar perks and lavish contracts, workers are fighting for health care, a living wage and safety on the job.
What can you do? Now that we're in the home stretch of what has been a generation-long struggle for fairness in the workplace, I urge all progressives to take a stand in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. In California, more than 50,000 hand-written letters have already been delivered to Feinstein. Tens of thousands of calls have been made to her offices. Hundreds of impacted workers have visited with her staff across the state. But we must do more to counter the corporate onslaught.
Call Sen. Feinstein and tell her you support the bill. Send a message of support on our Facebook page to the workers who are fasting this week for their rights or, better yet, if you're in the Bay Area stop by Wednesday or Thursday to show your support. Let friends and family know that Feinstein needs to hear from them too.
We'll be out in front of Feinstein's office Wednesday and Thursday - rain or shine. Hope to see (or hear from) you then.
you're such a pushover -- i know its HARD work bein' a dem :-)
John Rapf wrote:
Too much for one reading. I cut to the end. I agree. Off to the bar! - JR
----- Original Message -----
From: Becky Curry
To: John Rapf ; CDPRuralCaucus@yahoogroups.com ; TBRC-Council@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 3:42 PM
Subject: Re: L' affair du Singh and Feinstein Censure
i agree w/the whole gabriel thing - he is doing nothing to foster party building -- he's really mad about something, and feinstein just happens to be the target d'jour.
ooooh more french :-)
however, while i think that we get distracted sometimes by the resolution of the moment and I think this feinstein thing is the biggest waste of time i can imagine, (at times i feel like it's a way to distract us about where to put this word or that word in order to keep us from focusing on the big picture and allowiing people get lost in the minutiae of the process)
People are losing focus. Feinstein has a good record on most of the practical stuff I care about.
If we are not faulting Obama for sliding on this one, what's the percentage in getting our knickers twisted over her unsurprising and predictable positions regarding 'national security' and 'terrorism'?
However, I diverge from John about being an activist regarding issues and the policy that results.
I believe it is extremely important for local dem clubs to be activists about issues - issues and policy are what make us Democrats, not candidates who are nice and make us feel good.
And I believe it is up to us to let our elected people know where we stand on issues - we elect them, this is not a feudal system.
Those issues drive our candidates and drive the activism behind a candidate, you know, that stuff that gets them elected?
Our job is to reach out and carry the democratic message and policies to the peeps and put candidates forward who will
embody our policies and provide solutions to what we know are the issues that need addressing.
We have been working in LC on single payer health care for close to two years, we have followed legislation, written letters, we have gone to rallys with our labor folks, we have hosted forums, networked w/retirees, other dem groups, we called big time b.s on the 'compromise' that our State Dem leadership tried to cram down our throats early in the year.
We have instigated a campaign that is spreading out, to have citizens call upon their local elected jurisdictions to actually DO THE MATH, and see what the savings would be to taxpayers if California passed single payer.
Sheila Kuehl walks on water as far as i'm concerned (and i bet she's nice and she does make me feel good :-) )
We have written numerous ltte to the local media, staking out our ground as dems on the issue, we brought "sicko" to our teeny little commercial theater by working with many other groups in the county, to packed houses for several showings a day for 4 days i may add.
i would venture to say that if anyone asked who has done the most to bring the message of single payer and a modicum of understanding about the issue, into the mainstream conversation, in LC they would say 'the local democrats'
Same with the war, while we dont spend all month every month focusing on activism, we feel we must stake out the territory and define the ISSUE as democrats -- and sometimes it comes to us in the form of actions from other dem orgs.
LC endorsed and wrote to all our federal legs, urging them to consider endorsing the responsible plan 3 months ago.
i'm glad to see the uber liberals in alameda county catching up :-)
In order to define ourselves, frame our message, and take control of the dialog we must take positions on issues.
(Creedo is keeping the heat on Sen. Feinstein - promoted by Julia Rosen)
Does your mobile phone company hand deliver your letters to your Senator? CREDO Mobile does when a California politician starts siding with Bush instead of our customers (and her constituents!)
Senator Feinstein has recently made some bad vote choices. As a member of the judiciary committee, she has an important voice when it comes to confirming Bush appointees. Over the past few months, she has sided with President Bush instead of the people who elected her to office. She endorsed and voted for torture-enabler Michael Mukasey as attorney general and helped get ultraconservative Judge Leslie Southwick a lifetime appointment to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The day after the Southwick vote she toured around with President Bush on Air Force One arm-in-arm while looking at areas in Southern California hit by wildfires. For many of us around the office, that picture was the last straw. Here is a link to the picture:
http://www.pissedonpolitics.co...
Today, Senator Feinstein heard from over 2,000 California CREDO Mobile customers through the Citizen Action program. The Citizen Action program allows customers order CitizenLetters right from their phone bills. We wanted to deliver these letters in person so the senator knows that her constituents want her to say no to the Bush administration.
President Bush has sent another anti-choice nominee to the Senate for approval. Richard Honaker has publicly said abortion is wrong and in his home state of Wyoming introduced legislation to criminalize abortion from the moment of conception. Senator Feinstein now plays another critical role in protecting civil liberties. Tell Senator Feinstein to vote with Californians not Bush and say no to Richard Honaker:
http://act.credomobile.com/cam...
Does your mobile phone company hand deliver your letters to your Senator? CREDO Mobile does when a California politician starts siding with Bush instead of our customers (and her constituents!)
Senator Feinstein has recently made some bad vote choices. As a member of the judiciary committee, she has an important voice when it comes to confirming Bush appointees. Over the past few months, she has sided with President Bush instead of the people who elected her to office. She endorsed and voted for torture-enabler Michael Mukasey as attorney general and helped get ultraconservative Judge Leslie Southwick a lifetime appointment to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The day after the Southwick vote she toured around with President Bush on Air Force One arm-in-arm while looking at areas in Southern California hit by wildfires. For many of us around the office, that picture was the last straw. Here is a link to the picture:
http://www.pissedonpolitics.co... http://www.credomobile.com/?en...
Today, Senator Feinstein heard from over 2,000 California CREDO Mobile customers through the Citizen Action program. The Citizen Action program allows customers order CitizenLetters right from their phone bills. We wanted to deliver these letters in person so the senator knows that her constituents want her to say no to the Bush administration. Check out the pictures of Becky Bond (CREDO Mobile Political Director) being interviewed by the press.
President Bush has sent another anti-choice nominee to the Senate for approval. Richard Honaker has publicly said abortion is wrong and in his home state of Wyoming introduced legislation to criminalize abortion from the moment of conception. Senator Feinstein now plays another critical role in protecting civil liberties. Tell Senator Feinstein to vote with Californians not Bush and say no to Richard Honaker:
http://act.credomobile.com/cam...
It's always the little details that trip up the criminals who think they're getting over on everyone else; they always forget one tiny detail that unravels the whole mendacious plot. Columbo knew how they think, he knew that some of the most intelligent people think they are way too clever for the rest of us -- people like Harry Reid. I told you he was going to do this.
Now, what's the tiny detail that they hoped no one would notice?
Well, there are two types of people whose skills would come into play here. It's something that most lawyers would miss, because their first thought is "how can I argue this point as it pertains to the law?" and this detail would be overlooked. And most electronic geeks would miss it, because how many tech geeks would ever read a court document? Not very many.
Congratulations! Thanks to your 2399 calls to Sen. Reid's office in the past 36 hours to hold Senator Feinstein accountable, she just voted with the rest of the Democrats for a FISA bill WITHOUT telecom immunity. There'll be a floor fight in the Senate, but tonight we celebrate our victory.
Below is the email DFA's Political Director Charles Chamberlain just sent out.
Thanks,
Ilya
Dear DFA Member,
I don't normally send out an email at the end of the day, but something incredible just happened.
This evening, the Senate Democrats finally stood up to President Bush. And it was all because of DFA members like you.
Senate Democrats are now refusing to let Bush get away with his latest egregious abuse of power. They voted unanimously for a bill WITHOUT retroactive immunity to the major telecom companies who broke the law.
Everyone expected Dianne Feinstein to vote with the Republicans, but because of your work Senator Feinstein did the right thing and voted for the bill without retroactive immunity.
DFA stepped in. We sent a call to action, and you stepped up. With over 175 calls per hour totaling 2,399 reported calls to Senate Majority Leader Reid, DFA members across the country put the pressure on Democrats to do the right thing. And we won!
DFA stands up to Democrats who align themselves with Bush. But we can't do it without you. Contribute $15 today so we can keep the pressure on.
Now, because of your action, Bush's allies in his illegal war against our civil liberties will be held accountable. Because of you, the law will apply to everyone -- without special exceptions for Bush's corporate buddies.
And most importantly, together, we stood up to a Democrat who too often forgets which party she belongs to. And we won!
Whether it's defeating Republicans or holding Democrats accountable, your contribution of $15 gives DFA the tools to take our country back.
This article written by: Former Assemblymember Hannah Beth Jackson of Speak Out California
A weekly update on the goings-on in Sacramento
For the week ending November 3, 2007
Key bills and issues we've been following during the
Past week and beyond
This is usually a pretty quiet time in Sacramento. While this situation remains pretty much the case, the slowly dying Special Session still remains. With the big battle over water ending in a stalemate, the debate over health care reform showed a glimmer of activity this week as the Assembly Health Committee held a full-blown hearing on the Governor's health care proposal. There wasn't any progress to speak of, although the Speaker, Fabian Nunez pledged to keep working to reach a compromise. Unfortunately, few in Sacramento believe either side will make necessary concessions to make that happen.
When times are slow, polls become more interesting-at least to those political wonks who are otherwise suffering withdrawal from relative inactivity. This week was no different as the well-respected Public Policy Institute of California came out this week with the latest on several fronts. Among these are whether the people feel California is moving in the right direction or not (which is just another way of asking whether people are optimistic and hopeful about their future) and how the Governor would fare should he decide to take on Senator Barbara Boxer in 2010 for the U.S. Senate. As you can see, a lot of inside baseball here, especially since even the baseball season is finally over.
The ballot measures for 2008 are again coming to life, especially since right-wing Congressman Darrell Issa, who brought us the Davis Recall in 2003, has announced he will bankroll the return of the Electoral College measure. For those who thought this blatant right-wing power grab was dead, this measure will split California's electoral votes from a winner-takes-all to a split of electoral votes by Congressional District. Translated, this would likely give the Republican candidate 20 electoral votes---or the size of Ohio or Florida. Since the Republicans haven't won California in years, this is as good as giving them a 40 vote turnaround in the Electoral College, enough so the conventional wisdom holds, to steal the election for the Republicans. And since it is felt that Rudy Guliani is the one most likely to benefit from this ploy, and there are many dirty footprints leading to his door on this measure, the Dems are howling. All this makes for good copy, of course, and keeps the political junkies busy during an otherwise slow period before the election cycle kicks in. Of course, this year, the election cycle seems to have started months ago and seems to be in overdrive already.
With so much bad press recently for Speaker Fabian Nunez's spending habits, the Term-Limits/Extension measure Prop. 93 appears to be sliding out of favor dramatically with California's likely voters. Added to the woes of current members hoping to extend their terms in office is the announcement by billionaire State Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner, that he will help bankroll the opposition to the measure. Even though the supporters of the measure have a substantial war chest, this measure looks like it may go down with a big thud.
Senator Feinstein introduced a bill Friday that could dramatically change our election process. So regardless of what the House passes (most of their bills are seriously flawed) there may be some chance for meaningful reforms may pass this year (or am I dreaming).
Many of you have seen the series I wrote on the FL-13 18,000 missing Congressional votes. This bill (in theory) would solve many of the problems in counting those votes and the legal process after an election in securing a valid vote count.
Of course introducing a bill is not the same as passing a bill, and the Republicans have a vested interest in our current broken system. The election equipment companies also do not want anyone interfering with their current corrupt system.
Bill summary and co-sponsors follow. FYI: I am not involved in any way with the Senators office. Cross posted from dKos.
(Really? Ya mean Californians care about a better and more effective democracy as well? ; ) - promoted by atdleft)
Clean money, or public financing of campaigns, is back on the agenda, this time on the federal level. On March 20, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would create a voluntary system of full public financing for congressional elections. The bill, called the Fair Elections Now Act (FENA), is designed to curb the "pay-to-play" nature of politics in D.C. in which special interests have a disproportionate impact on the political process via their large campaign contributions. The logic of this ethical reform is identical to that of Proposition 89, the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act, but FENA is without many of the problems that led to the demise of Prop. 89.
(Good piece to start a discussion with. - promoted by bolson)
The California Democratic Party is in trouble. Whereas on the national level grassroots Democrats have done a good job of wresting the DNC out of the hands of the corrupt (and corrupting) corporate donor types, on the state level we haven't been able to do the same yet. The two examples I have of the problems with the state party are the money laundering for Fabian Nunez and the failure of the wealthy elites who run the party to stand behind Angelides. See below the fold for more.
For the past several months, I've been writing to Feinstein asking her to show some leadership in the progressive movement. She is, after all, a senator from California!
