August 2005

"It is a bitter irony that people survive the massive fury of a hurricane only to get seriously injured or even killed while clearing debris in the storm's aftermath. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) urges those performing clean-up activities to wear the necessary safety equipment to reduce the risk of serious injuries." [Read more]

"The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today urged American Muslims and other people of conscience to offer whatever assistance they can to help alleviate the suffering of those impacted by Hurricane Katrina. This week, Katrina left a trail of death and destruction along the Gulf Coast. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco is declaring Wednesday a day of prayer." [Read more]

"The National Clergy Council and the Christian Defense Coalition have faxed a letter to the White House asking President Bush to declare a national day of prayer and fasting for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Representatives of both organizations will hold a news conference this afternoon in front of the White House to reiterate their plea. Clergy spokespersons will also urge the President to become more directly engaged in the situation." [Read more]

"A report that challenges conventional approaches is released today at a critical moment in the battle against poverty. The report, World Resources 2005: The Wealth of the Poor: Managing Ecosystems to Fight Poverty, stresses the urgent need to look beyond aid projects, debt relief and trade reform and focus on local natural resources to address the crisis of poverty in all parts of the globe." [Read more]

"A Washington association executive has called for an investigation into the role of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts when he represented the National Credit Union Administration, a regulatory agency of the federal government. He charged that there was a bizarre intervention by the NCUA to quash a subpoena for a personal account while Roberts was representing the group." [Read more]

"The United States and Non-Aligned Movement of states could end the chance to effectively reform the United Nations by demanding last minute and sweeping changes during negotiations before the UN World Summit." [Read more]

"Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement on the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, praising the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation to win that war and calling on President Bush to follow the model of his predecessors to lay out and stick to a clear plan for victory:

"Democratic Presidents Roosevelt and Truman led America to victory in World War II because they laid out a clear plan for success to the American people, America's allies and America's troops. President Bush has failed to put together a plan..." [Read more]

"The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, one of 11 Presidential Libraries that are part of the National Archives and Records Administration, has approximately 55 million pages of materials related to the Reagan Presidency. To date, the Library has opened 51,285 pages of records relating to Judge John G. Roberts. In processing requests, the Library followed its standard search procedure by searching for Roberts records using his name." [Read more]

"The following is a statement by Michael Petit, the president and founder of the Every Child Matters Education Fund, regarding the release of the U.S. Census data on the uninsured:

"According to the U.S. Census Bureau's release today, the number of uninsured Americans increased again, as it has every year since the current Administration took office. While the overall number of uninsured children remains about the same, the number of children enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP increased." [Read more]

"The following was released today by the Republican National Committee:

"It's hardly surprising that the Alliance for Justice would join PFAW and NARAL in their obligatory opposition to Judge Roberts. Nan Aaron first attacked Judge Roberts a mere 27 minutes after he was nominated and today's Alliance for Justice announcement is the continuation of a false smear campaign borne of a political agenda in lock step with the Michael Moore wing of the Democrat party." [Read more]

"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, DEA Administrator Karen Tandy and U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott, of the Eastern District of California will hold a press conference on TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2005 at 1:45 P.M. EDT, announcing the results of Operation Wildfire, the largest nationally-coordinated law enforcement initiative to fight against the spread of methamphetamine." [Read more]

"On August 31, the last day of the nearly month long vigil outside of President Bush's Ranch, the Bring Them Home Now Tour will launch three buses from Crawford, TX each carrying military and Gold Star families, veterans of the Iraq War and veterans of previous wars." [Read more]

"2004 was a banner year for CEOs and a dismal year for workers, according to a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy, "Executive Excess 2005: Defense Contractors Get More Bucks for the Bang." The ratio of average CEO pay (now $11.8 million) to worker pay (now $27,460) spiked up from 301-to-1 in 2003 to 431-to-1 in 2004." [Read more]

"Tomorrow's release of the 2004 income and poverty data by the U.S. Census will likely continue efforts by the Administration and Congress to mask and ignore the problem of poverty in the United States." [Read more]

"Judie Brown, president of American Life League, the nation's largest grassroots pro-life educational organization, issued the following statement regarding the FDA's decision to delay approval of over-the- counter sales of the "emergency contraceptive" Plan B:

"While the FDA's delays are at least keeping Plan B from being sold without a doctor's prescription, American Life League must once again ask why use of this drug is permitted under any conditions. Plan B aborts children and hurts women. It should be pulled from the market altogether." [Read more]

"The Louisiana Nursing Home Association (LNHA) this morning urged any and all frail, elderly Louisianans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's path in immediate need of help or assistance of any kind to contact or proceed to their local nursing home or long term care facility for food, shelter and safety." [Read more]

"Nineteen leading political scientists came together to write Democracy at Risk: How Political Choices Undermine Citizen Participation and What We Can Do About It (Brookings Institution Press). Produced under the sponsorship of the American Political Science Association's Committee on Civic Education and Engagement, the book describes civic trends, locates the sources of our civic debility, and provides an agenda for reform." [Read more]

"Greg LeRoy, author of The Great American Jobs Scam: Corporate Tax Dodging and the Myth of Jobs Creation (Berrett-Koehler, 2005) today criticized one of the most lavish giveaways in U.S. history: a multi-subsidy package from New York State and City to financial giant Goldman Sachs for its new headquarters near the World Trade Center site." [Read more]

"Two new reports from the Center for Immigration Studies examine the role of immigration control in our efforts to prevent further terrorist attacks on American soil. They will be released at a panel discussion on Tuesday, Aug. 30." [Read more]

"Hudson Institute's Center for Latin American Studies will host John Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and President Bush's "Drug Czar," on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. Walters will discuss the success of Plan Colombia." [Read more]

"Bruce S. Gordon, president & CEO, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said today that the Justice Department approval of the controversial Georgia law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls is "a disappointing decision by an agency that is supposed to protect voters" by enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965." [Read more]

"U.S. Attorney John McKay filed notice in U.S. District Court in Seattle today that the Department of Justice will appeal the 22-year prison term imposed on Ahmed Ressam to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ressam, 38, a native of Algeria, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour on July 27, in connection with his plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport. The central issue of the appeal is whether the 22-year prison term is reasonable given that RESSAM faced a sentencing guidelines range of 65 years to life in prison. "Ahmed Ressam plotted to kill hundreds of innocent Americans. His powerful explosives put lives at risk on the ferry Coho and in Port Angeles. We believe his actions warrant a sentence above 22 years, and that the district judge erred in imposing the sentence," stated U.S. Attorney John McKay." [Read more]

"World leaders will meet Sept. 14 to Sept. 16 at the United Nations in New York to address critical challenges confronting international peace and security and development. But the Bush administration, led by Ambassador John Bolton, is jeopardizing the meeting's chances of success by seeking to dilute and eliminate a raft of commitments to reduce the dangers posed by biological, chemical, conventional, and nuclear arms from the UN meeting's draft final document." [Read more]

"In a full-page ad to run in Sunday's Waco Tribune-Herald, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies President Clifford May offers an open invitation to Cindy Sheehan to meet with Iraqi freedom fighters, victims of Saddam's torture chambers and Middle-Eastern democracy activists and to discuss what is at stake in Iraq." [Read more]

"In a belated but welcomed statement, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) promised to work "to avoid financing one-sided political campaigns" in the Middle East, according to yesterday’s New York Sun. That salutary result is certainly attributable to the efforts of the new American ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton." [Read more]

"Because local authorities have failed to prosecute former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and his subordinates for systematic acts of torture inflicted on African-Africans over a 20-year period, lawyers representing victims of these atrocities have asked international human rights authorities to intervene." [Read more]

"The 'New York Committee against Ahmadinejad (NYCA)' announces its formation. Its mission is to campaign against the trip by Iran's new President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to New York City, scheduled for mid-September. He is planning to address the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session." [Read more]

"A daily service of the DNC, "Mr. Bush, Tear Down That Stone Wall" will highlight a specific fact that has been revealed and what Americans deserve to know about the White House's involvement in the improper and possibly illegal disclosure of an undercover CIA agent's identity for political gain." [Read more]

"If the FDA gives a green light for over-the-counter distribution, Planned Parenthood stands to take in a minimum $100 million profit over a five-year period from sales of the Plan B 'morning-after' pill," said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International." [Read more]

"On Aug. 26, the Migrant Education State Parent Advisory Council (SPAC) will be holding a press conference at the California State Capitol to call on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to return $19.2 million dollars in migrant education carryover funds that he vetoed on July 15." [Read more]

"Marq Anderson, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) national tour manager, arrives at Camp Casey to return the military combat boots worn in Iraq by fallen U.S. soldier, Casey Sheehan to his grieving mother, Cindy Sheehan, in Crawford, Texas on Thursday, August 25, at 11:30 a.m. EST (10:30 a.m. CST)." [Read more]

"On Friday, Aug. 26, at 10 am EDT Mr. Alireza Jafarzadeh, president of Strategic Policy Consulting Inc. will hold a press conference in the National Press Building in Washington, DC, to reveal top secret information on Iran's nuclear and missile programs." [Read more]

"The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush on the war on terror:

Idaho Center, Nampa, Idaho

11 a.m. MDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thanks for the warm welcome. Glad I finally got here. (Applause.) You got a beautiful state. (Applause.) Full of really decent people. And Laura and I are thrilled to be here. I'm particularly thrilled to be with the courageous men and women who wear our nation's uniform. (Applause.) I'm honored to stand with the brave men and women of the Idaho National Guard. (Applause.)" [Read more]

"Today Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) announced that Blacks in Government (BIG) has passed several pro-human rights resolutions, which included calling for the suspended use of TASERs pending a rigorous medical investigation, abolishing the death penalty, ending racial profiling and improving the human rights crisis in Sudan." [Read more]

"Judie Brown, president of American Life League, the nation's largest grassroots pro-life educational organization, issued the following statement about the extensive attention given to a new study regarding pain felt by preborn children:

"It is unjustifiable that researchers from the University of California have received wide-ranging coverage for their bogus claim that preborn children do not feel pain until well after their twentieth week of gestational life." [Read more]

"The Department of Justice (DOJ), as part of its ongoing Body Armor Safety Initiative testing, announced today that test results indicate that used Zylon-containing body armor vests may not provide the intended level of ballistic resistance." [Read more]

"Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) a member of the International Relations Committee issued the following statement today:

"I am deeply troubled by the recent comments by Pat Robertson on his 700 club program calling for the assassination of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez because he has placed a stake in the back of diplomacy." [Read more]

"t r u t h o u t columnist and legal analyst Marjorie Cohn has just completed a ground-breaking interview with retired Army Reserve Brigadier General Janis Karpinski. Karpinski was the highest ranking U.S. officer at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq when the now infamous photographs of tortured prisoners were taken." [Read more]

"Former military who transition to teaching are playing a significant role in meeting the nation's growing need for specific kinds of teachers, according to a new survey by the National Center for Education Information (NCEI). This survey follows previously released NCEI surveys of all K-12 teachers and of teachers entering the profession through alternative routes." [Read more]

"The latest attacks on London prove, once again, that America and its allies have failed to stop the scourge of Islamic terrorism. Four years after Sept. 11, our troops still die in both Iraq and Afghanistan, while our enemy's bombs continue to explode in cities around the world. Why is this happening?" [Read more]

"Project 21 member Mychal Massie will take part in a Thursday, August 25 press conference to discuss African-American support of the record and beliefs of Judge John Roberts, who was recently nominated to fill the current vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court." [Read more]

"The disputed report coming out of the University of California, indicating that pain may not be felt by unborn children during abortions in early pregnancy, hardly settles the matter scientifically," said Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. "Other studies over the last 15 years around the world show evidence of earlier fetal pain." [Read more]

"ACORN, and WARN (the Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now) today submitted official comments to the FDIC opposing Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. request for a charter and deposit insurance protection for a proposed Wal-Mart Bank. The community groups expressed strong opposition to Wal- Mart's request that its new bank be exempt from the Community Reinvestment Act." [Read more]

"The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law and the Justice at Stake Campaign are teaming up to provide regular snapshots of the television advertising campaigns for and against the confirmation of Judge John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court, the two public interest groups announced today. The Brennan Center and Justice at Stake regularly collaborate on analyses of interest group advertising in state Supreme Court elections." [Read more]

"Media Matters for America President and CEO David Brock today called on Pat Robertson to retract and repudiate his vitriolic comments against the President of Venezuela. Media Matters for America first drew attention to Pat Robertson, host of Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club and founder of the Christian Coalition of America, calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez." [Read more]

"A nationwide survey released today reports that an increasing number of Americans say they know a fair amount about the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. But the more they know about it, the less they like it." [Read more]

"As world leaders focus this summer on global poverty alleviation, deep inequalities in not only income but also health and well-being continue to plague many countries around the world. The Population Reference Bureau's just-released 2005 World Population Data Sheet provides new and essential information on just how much separates rich from poor." [Read more]

"Following is the text of an op-ed article by Jeffrey Laurenti, senior fellow at The Century Foundation:

On Iraq War, the Elixir of Democracy?

"The draft constitution that Baghdad's political factions have agreed to submit to the Iraqi people in October addresses grand issues of governance like federalism and Islamism. But that referendum also provides the opportunity to ask Iraqis' consent to a far less abstract question: Whether they want American and allied military forces to stay in Iraq to guarantee security under the new government." [Read more]

"The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced today that 87 individuals have been indicted and 59 people have been arrested on charges related to international conspiracies to launder money and smuggle counterfeit U.S. currency, weapons, drugs and cigarettes into the United States." [Read more]

"Following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention:

Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah

11:17 a.m. MDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's a pleasure to be back here in Salt Lake City, Utah. And I'm proud to again stand with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thanks for having me. (Applause.)" [Read more]

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