Saturday, January 28, 2006

RadioNation with Laura Flanders: student activists who turned their backs on Alberto Gonzales and much more!

Now I just posted at The Common Ills. Before I repost that here, I want to note that "I'm tired" doesn't cut it for being inactive on Alito. I had a much longer point in the original post for The Common Ills but then I thought, "C.I. will have a problem with this."

But the truth is, C.I.'s not had any damn down time. Maybe flying to and from DC on Tuesday counts as down time to you? Or pouring over the Church Committee report on Wednesday night qualifies as down time? I don't.

C.I. was in DC for all of the Alito hearings, was that down time? We were all working on The Third Estate Sunday Review. C.I. was on the phone with us and mentioned "just wanting to listen to some CDs." C.I.'s pulling a stack and notices that Cass Elliot's Solo Collection is missing the first disc and isn't too pleased about that. But whatever. Then C.I. pulls Michelle Phillips' Victim of Romance and is furious to find that the disc isn't inside. C.I. put us on hold for an hour to track down that disc. C.I. was furious. Jess got it and I got it too.

When you've given everything and you just want to hear something, when you're finally home, you expect it to damn well be there. That it wasn't there was the ultimate last straw.

That was before the fight began to force senators to stand up and do their damn jobs. As part of that, C.I. was on the road last weekend speaking to groups and is back on the road again this weekend. So I really don't want to hear from anyone that they've done all they can. C.I. hasn't taken that approach. C.I.'s not saying, "You know I've done everything I can, I think I'll just sit by the pool today and relax." And you shouldn't either.

That's not a slap down to Rebecca. She and her ex-husband planned a getaway for two weekends ago and ended up cancelling it. They had it rescheduled for this weekend. And when they rescheduled it, as well as when they left Friday, Rebecca had no idea that Bill Frist would be pushing for the vote on Monday.

On the phone this afternoon, Rebecca told me she was furious when she found out and then asked herself what she could do where she is? She could get the word out. A lot of people are vacationing and that's a group that might not be hearing about Alito otherwise and how important it is to demand a filibuster.

Rebecca's doing her part and where ever you are, you can do your part too. Get off your butts, dig deep for more energy and get motivated.

Here's my post:

Kat here. It's Saturday so what do you think I'm about to write about? Abby Road? Well you're wrong -- although it would be a great topic. On Saturday's we have an equal worthy topic: RadioNation with Laura Flanders. So did you listen last weekend? If you did, you had Robert Redford sharing his thoughts on the administration impeachment. What did he say on that?
Well you should have listened, now shouldn't you?
B-b-b-but Kat, I was busy!
Well then you missed it. But you can go to RadioNation with Laura Flanders and listen to last Saturday's show. And instead of wondering what you might miss out on this weekend, you can listen to RadioNation with Laura Flanders.
Here's what's coming up today and Sunday:

RadioNation with Laura Flanders
Are you fired up enough that you want to run for office?
Saturdays & Sundays, 7-10pm ET on Air America Radio
With the Alito hearings fresh in our minds, we'll talk to the folks from Wellstone Action who are in New York to train candidates in the style of the late Paul Wellstone. We'll take stock of the culture wars with author Chris Willman -- author of 'Rednecks and Bluenecks' -- and Leonard Steinhorn, whose defense of the baby boom legacy defies those who claim conservatism is on the rise. Plus the law students who turned their backs on the Attorney General, our journalists roundtable, and a live report from the World Social Forum.
It's all on RadioNation with Laura Flanders this weekend on Air America Radio.

You can listen to RadioNation with Laura Flanders over the traditional airwaves, via XM satellite, via podcasting or via online streaming. So check it out. You know you want to and you know you're dying to hear from the students who turned their backs on Gonzales. Good for them.
And check out this from NOW:


Support the Filibuster - Defeat Alito
After all your calls, emails and action, two senators are taking the lead in defeating ultra-conservative Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) are organizing the filibuster of Judge Alito and they need the support of 39 other senators in order to block a straight up or down vote.
Please make as many phone calls as you can before Monday at 4:30pm, when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will call for a vote to end debate on Alito. Of the self-proclaimed women's rights supporters in the Senate, more are announcing public support for the filibuster every hour. Hillary Clinton and Dianne Feinstein have just signed on in support, and more of those who have offered private support need to give it publicly. Others are on the fence, and need to hear from us that their support for women's rights is hollow unless they back the filibuster and vote NO on cloture.
NOW has put together a list of senators (self-described women's rights supporters) who need our firm encouragement to come out publicly and join the filibuster (and some, like Chafee and Snowe, haven't even said they'll vote NO on the nomination!).
Remember, without a filibuster, Judge Alito WILL be confirmed. In a straight up or down vote, we need 51 "NO" votes to defeat Alito, but in a filibuster, we need only 41 votes to block Frist's effort to end debate.
We've asked for a lot from you over the last few months, and together we've made great progress--just a week ago a filibuster seemed out of the question! Now that we've come this close, we need your help with this final push. If Judge Alito takes a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court--replacing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor--all of our hard-fought rights are in danger.
Please call one or more of the Senators below, especially if you live in their state (click on the Senator's name for district office numbers). Please share this alert widely and ask friends to join the fight!
Senators to call (list as of 1/27/06 4:30pm) - an updated list is available on our website:
Mark Pryor (D- AR)
202-224-2353
Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D- AR)
202-224-4843
Ken Salazar (D- CO)
202-224-5852
Joseph I. Lieberman (D- CT)
202-224-4041
Thomas R. Carper (D- DE)
202-224-2441
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D- DE)
202-224-5042
Bill Nelson (D- FL)
202-224-5274
Daniel K. Akaka (D- HI)
202-224-6361
Daniel K. Inouye (D- HI)
202-224-3934
Tom Harkin (D- IA)
202-224-3254
Barack Obama (D- IL)
202-224-2854
Evan Bayh (D- IN)
202-224-5623
Barbara A. Mikulski (D- MD)
202-224-4654
Carl Levin (D- MI)
202-224-6221
Mark Dayton (D- MN)
202-224-3244
Max Baucus (D- MT)
202-224-2651
Byron L. Dorgan (D- ND)
202-224-2551
Robert Menendez (D- NJ)
202-224-4744
Frank Lautenberg (D- NJ)
202-224-3224
Jeff Bingaman (D- NM)
202-224-5521
Charles Schumer (D- NY)
202-224-6542
Lincoln D. Chafee (R- RI)
202-224-2921
Patrick J. Leahy (D- VT)
202-224-4242
Maria Cantwell (D- WA)
202-224-3441
Patty Murray (D- WA)
202-224-2621
Herb Kohl (D- WI)
202-224-5653
John D. Rockefeller, IV (D- WV)
202-224-6472
SUPPORT NOW:
Support NOW's Work for Equal Rights Join NOW Shop Online Member Benefits
LEARN MORE:
NOW.org TheTruthAboutGeorge.com NOW News Releases
TAKE ACTION:
Get Involved Legislative Action Center Find Your Nearest Chapter Tell a Friend

The New York Times, the paper of clampdown, tells you Alito's confirmation/coronation is a "done deal." But like C.I. noted this week, they told you it was a "done deal" after the hearings. They were predicting an easy ride to confirmation. Then a no movement came along thanks to people standing up and now we've got a chance at a filibuster. We're working for the filibuster. A "no" vote without it is meaningless. Call and tell them you want a filibuster. Order some fries with it, if you'd like, but let them know you want a filibuster.
I know in this community, we worked really hard. We need to do it again. So get the word out and Monday, make the senators hear you. We can do this. Look how far we've gotten on this already! Quitters and clampdown artists told us two weekends ago that there's no way we'd get this far. But we did. Let's work to take this further. Do your part. I'm doing my part and guess who's on the road, and away from home, for the how many weekend in a row? Guess who's tired and didn't get the down time the rest of us grabbed but is speaking to college groups all weekend? So let's not fall back on, "I've already done my part." Democracy is an ongoing process. While C.I.'s on campuses, Rebecca's on the weekend getaway she postponed. Is she letting this issue die? No, she's not. She called me this afternoon to say that vacationers are hearing about it from her. And where will she be on Monday? Back at her friend's hair salon, with her cell phone, and she'll be encouraging women to let senators hear from them while her friend's going to offer, again, half-prices for every woman that calls while waiting to have their hair or nails done. So do your part by making your own calls, do your part by getting the word out and do your part by getting creative and finding other ways to get the word out and get people motivated.
And listen to Laura!














And note this, Betty filled in for Rebecca (at Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude) last night. She wrote a great post, so read "Betty here, weighing in on Alito and the Democratic Party."

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

John Kerry willing to filibuster Alito!

Swiping completely from C.I.'s "PDA says John Kerry is calling for a filibuster on Alito:"

Brandon just forwarded this e-mail from Progessive Democrats of America:

Kerry is filibustering Alito!

Call Senators Immediately!
Call the Senators listed below, as well as your own, and tell them:

* a "No" vote is meaningless without a filibuster
* it is cowardly to only fight a fight when assured victory
* the American people need to see the Senate standing up for separation of powers and against the "Unitary Executive"

Use these toll free numbers to call the Capitol: 888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641. If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/dbq/officials/?lvl=C

First: Call the three Democrats (Mary Landrieu, Ken Salazar, and Dianne Feinstein) who oppose Alito but also said they oppose a filibuster. We must persuade them that a vote against Alito is meaningless if they don't support a filibuster.

Senator Salazar (D-CO) 202-224-5852
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 202-224-3841

Second: Call your own Democratic Senator: 888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641.
* If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/dbq/officials/?lvl=C

Third: Unbelievably, three Democrats (Ben Nelson, Tim Johnson and Robert Byrd) support Alito!
Tell them to either support filibuster or at least "don't get in the way."

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) 202-224-3954
Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) 202-224-5842
888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641.

If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/dbq/officials/?lvl=C

Fourth: Call the "Red State" Democrats: (Message same as above -- "No" is meaningless)

Tom Carper (DE)
Kent Conrad (ND)
Byron Dorgan (ND)
Blanche Lincoln (AR)
Mark Pryor (AR)


Fifth: Call these "Blue State" and pro-choice Republicans: (Message: A "Unitary Executive" is dangerous to balance of powers--please do not get in the way of a filibuster.)

Lincoln Chafee (RI)
Susan Collins (ME)
Lisa Murkowsky (AK)
Bob Smith (OR)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
Ted Stevens (AK)

For extra credit, call all of the 2008 Presidential candidates who are sitting Senators--Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, and John Kerry--and tell them to either LEAD THE FILIBUSTER or KISS YOUR SUPPORT GOODBYE.
888-355-3588 or 888-818-6641.

If you can't get through, look up the Senator's District Office number in your phone book or here: http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/dbq/officials/?lvl=C

You can also send that message to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (202-224-2447) and the Democratic National Committee (202-863-8000).


We've had our rest and down time, it's time to get active again. We can apply the pressure and make this happen if we work together.






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Monday, January 23, 2006

We moved them to fight

Judiciary Committee Votes Tomorrow on Alito; Filibuster Possible, Says Durbin
Tomorrow, two days after the 33rd anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Samuel Alito, a Supreme Court nominee who in 1985 wrote that the Constitution does not protect a woman's right to an abortion. Women's rights leaders and activists rallied last night at the Supreme Court in support of the landmark Supreme Court ruling.
"Since we last gathered to commemorate Roe v. Wade, two seats have opened up on the Supreme Court, and George W. Bush has used both opportunities to nominate judges whose records show a disdain for privacy rights and individual liberties," said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. "The Senate is poised to vote on confirming Samuel Alito, who would replace Sandra Day O'Connor, a justice whose vote has upheld women's rights for nearly 25 years. How quickly the fate of women's reproductive rights could turn in this nation."
Already, at least nine Senators have come out publicly and strongly against Alito's confirmation, including four who voted in favor of confirming John Roberts as chief justice. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), the Democratic Whip, said that a filibuster was possible.
"A week ago, I would have told you it's not likely to happen," Durbin said. "As of [Wednesday], I just can't rule it out. I was surprised by the intensity of feeling of some of my colleagues. It's a matter of counting. We have 45 Democrats, counting [Vermont independent] Jim Jeffords, on our side. We could sustain a filibuster if 41 Senators ... are willing to stand and fight."
GET THE INSIDE SCOOPwith The Smeal Report and the New Leif blogs at MsMagazine.com
TAKE ACTIONCall your Senators and urge them to oppose Alito
DONATEMake an emergency contribution to the Feminist Majority's Save Roe Campaign. We must be a strong voice in this crucial fight to save Roe and the Supreme Court for women’s rights.
Media Resources: Feminist Majority; NOW statement 1/22/06; Chicago Sun-Times 1/20/06

The item above is from today's Feminist Wire.

Swiping from Rebecca:

c.i.'s noted it, elaine's noting it, mike's noting it. elaine's trying to be sure we all note it because we need to get the word out. they need to hear from us tomorrow, the senators. they need to hear from us before they vote, while they're voting and after they've voted.

To that add Betty and Cedric and now me. Wally plans to note it tomorrow morning.

Are you tired? Are you exhausted and feel like you've got nothing left to give?

I hear you. I'm about to go to sleep and this is so early for me. But I followed up with the young women I spoke to Saturday to make sure they were contacting their senators. I also hopped in the car and, armed with my cell phone, basically went door to door of every friend and acquaintence I had. Some I visited at work, some I visited at their homes.

So I do understand being tired. I bet your tired too.

Get some rest and then tomorrow, get started again. That's activism. That's how we make a difference.

I wish I had some groovy advice to offer but what do you tell the groovy that they don't already know?

And everyone who's done their part deserves to be congratulated. I think doing our part comes with citizenship and caring about the world around us. But when our senators buckle and we have to be the leaders, that deserves a congratulations.

We've done that. And we need to remember this. Regardless of tomorrow's outcome, this is a victory for us. We've moved the Senate Democrats to fight and that's a miracle in and of itself.

So get some rest. Wake up tomorrow and start back up again.

If you've called already or e-mailed already or faxed, make a point to do it again. Make sure that, Democrat or Republican, your senators know where you stand.

If you're able to visit their local offices or their D.C. offices do so. And look around tomorrow before the vote to make sure that you've reached out to everyone you can.










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