September 2005

"Today, Media Matters for America called on the distributor of Bill Bennett's radio program, Salem Radio Network, to apologize for Bennett's comments linking abortion of black children and crime rates." [Read more]

"The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a new "Pathways to Employment" initiative to help evacuees and other survivors of the recent hurricanes find employment and training opportunities. "Pathways to Employment" provides targeted assistance to people based on individual needs, through the nationwide network of 3,500 One-Stop Career Centers located across the country." [Read more]

"In a strongly worded letter, the leader of the nation's largest military veterans organization today urged the U.S. Attorney General to appeal a district court decision that would put the lives of Americans in jeopardy.

The national commander of The American Legion, Thomas L. Bock, wrote Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales that he must lead the way in overturning the "extremely dangerous" decision of U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein yesterday to release 74 photos and three videotapes from the Abu Ghraib prison." [Read more]

"The bipartisan leadership of the U.S. Senate's National Guard Caucus Friday cautioned President Bush against assigning the lead role in domestic disaster responses to the active U.S. military. The co- chairs of the Caucus, Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), released the letter (text, below), which they sent earlier Friday to the White House." [Read more]

"Following is the transcript of remarks by President Bush in farewell tribute in honor of General Richard B. Myers and armed forces hail in honor of General Peter Pace:

Fort Myer, Virginia, 10:41 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for the warm welcome. It is a pleasure to join you in paying tribute to a fine American and a superb Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dick Myers. I'm glad to see the Myers family here: Dick's great wife, Mary Jo; their children, Rich, Nicole and Erin; their grandchildren, Sophie and Cole. I know those grandkids are proud of their grandfather today. I want you to know, kids, you're joined by the Commander-in-Chief and the American people." [Read more]

"United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg today announced the unsealing of a two-count indictment charging Barney Spears, 38, of Houston, with filing a false claim against the United States and making false statements to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The indictment was returned by a Houston grand jury on Wednesday, Sept. 21." [Read more]

"In an effort to tell the positive stories of daily accomplishments by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan directly from the perspective of the American soldier, The American Legion today launched its "Letters to America from the Front" initiative." [Read more]

"House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid at a news conference this afternoon to discuss how the Republicans' culture of corruption has contributed to their failed efforts to provide relief to survivors of Hurricane Katrina." [Read more]

"The "Red Mass" is held every year, at St. Matthews Cathedral, on the Sunday before the opening of the fall session of the Supreme Court. (October 2nd.) Many Supreme Court justices and public officials attend the mass. President Bush and newly confirmed Chief Justice John G. Roberts are expected to attend this year. In 2003, the Rev. Mahoney was arrested for peacefully displaying the Ten Commandments on a public sidewalk in front of St. Matthews. Last year he was harassed and repeatedly threatened with arrest." [Read more]

"More than a dozen of the nation's leading scientists, legal scholars and clergy today announced the formation of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution (DefCon), an online grassroots movement to combat the threat posed by the religious right to American democracy, public education and scientific leadership." [Read more]

With Rep. Tom DeLay's indictment in Texas yesterday, Rep. Blunt has taken the reins as the new House Majority Leader. Despite Rep. DeLay's innumerable ethics problems, the House leadership remains blind to the ethics issue, naming Rep. Blunt as Leader despite his trail of ethics violations. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) this week released a 88-page report titled "Beyond DeLay: The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress," documenting the unethical and often illegal activities of the most tainted Members of Congress." [Read more]

"House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) made the following statement today after the Senate voted 78-22 to confirm Justice John Roberts as the next Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

"I applaud Justice John Roberts on his confirmation by the Senate. The U.S. Supreme Court begins a new journey today with the strong, principled legacy of the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist as a roadmap. I trust that Justice Roberts will lead the Court with the same sense of character, fairness and respect for the Constitution." [Read more]

"RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman issued the following statement on the Senate's confirmation of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

"The overwhelming confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts is a tribute to Judge Roberts' distinguished record and the Senate's fair process. John Roberts will make an incredible Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who will always interpret the Constitution with impartiality and respect for the rule of law." [Read more]

"VelvetRevolution.us, a network of more than 120 progressive organizations seeking honest government, just launched the 'Government Accountability Reward Fund' to induce whistleblowers to come forward with information about criminal activity by high government officials." [Read more]

"In order to better understand current perceptions, the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies (ORCAS) commissioned Harris Interactive(r) to conduct a nationwide survey of 1,004 American adults by telephone Sept. 23 - 26. The survey found that six out of ten American adults (61 percent) believe that they will feel the effects of global climate change in their life time, and of those, almost three-quarters (72 percent) say they are seeing the effects today." [Read more]

"The non-profit Clean Air Watch today warned that energy legislation approved early this morning by a House of Representatives committee "would be the biggest weakening of the Clean Air Act in history." [Read more]

"The following was released today by the Program on International Policy Attitudes:

A new poll finds a majority of Americans reject the idea of using military force to promote democracy. Only 35 percent favored using military force to overthrow dictators. Less than one in five favored the US threatening to use military force if countries do not institute democratic reforms." [Read more]

"Following is a statement by Esta Soler, president, Family Violence Prevention Fund, on passage of the Violence Against Women Act by the House of Representatives:

"The nation took a critical step toward stopping domestic, sexual and dating violence and stalking today when the House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Act of 2005. This bill can do a tremendous amount to stop violence and help victims. We are especially pleased that the House bill will fund unprecedented new prevention initiatives that have the potential to keep millions of women and children safe." [Read more]

"President George W. Bush granted pardons to the following 14 individuals..." [Read more]

"Ron Bonjean, communications director for Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R- Ill.) today issued the following statement:

"The decision of the Majority Leader is consistent with the rules. The leadership has a plan and will present it to House Republicans at a special conference meeting today." [Read more]

"Following is a statement of Philip E. Clapp, President, National Environmental Trust on Rep. Barton's back-door repeal of the core of the Clean Air Act:

"The hubris here is really shocking. Using the twin tragedies of Katrina and Rita to push through a massive rewriting of the public health protections of the Clean Air Act is the height of cynical exploitation. Washington hasn't seen overreaching like this since Newt Gingrich's 1995 Republican meltdown." [Read more]

"Iraqi business leaders remain decidedly optimistic about the growth of the Iraqi economy as well as the growth of their own businesses, according to a poll released today by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The survey reveals that 77 percent of Iraqi businesses anticipate growth in the national economy over the next two years and 69 percent of respondents describe themselves as being "optimistic" about Iraq's general economic future." [Read more]

"With today's indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) on conspiracy charges and the investigation into Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist ((R- Tenn.) for possible insider trading, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) urges the immediate investigation into the widespread and ever-growing corruption on Capitol Hill." [Read more]

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

The Rose Garden, 10:26 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I just had a good meeting with Generals Abizaid and Casey. We discussed the war on terror in which this country is engaged. General Abizaid talked about the global scope of this war. He talked about the nature of an enemy we face, an enemy which is ruthless and brutal, an enemy which has got strategic goals and tactics necessary to achieve those goals. We also talked about the fact that we're determined to defeat the enemy. We discussed our strategy for victory in Iraq, as well. After all, Iraq is a key battlefront in this war on terror." [Read more]

"At a time when our nation is focused on creating diversity on the Supreme Court, a new study shows that there is a serious lack of diversity among state judiciaries. According to a new study just released by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ("Lawyers' Committee"), despite some modest advances, minority candidates who want to serve as judges often face unique barriers to office." [Read more]

"National Air Traffic Controllers Association conference call to highlight serious threats to public safety from FAA mismanagement and to announce launch of the "Fly Us Safe" campaign, a major new national public education and advertising effort." [Read more]

"House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi sent the following letter to President Bush this afternoon asking him to clarify his position on Posse Comitatus, the use of federal troops to perform law enforcement functions in the Gulf Coast region.

Dear Mr. President:

I am disturbed by recent comments you made in New Orleans that a "broader role" for the military is necessary in dealing with domestic disasters. Yesterday, you expanded on your New Orleans remarks, declaring that "what I was speculating about was a scenario which would require federal assets to stabilize the situation, primarily DOD assets." [Read more]

"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today appointed Michael J. Garcia, United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Susan W. Brooks, United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, to serve on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys. He also named Debra Wong Yang, United States attorney for the Central District of California, as chair of the Advisory Committee's new Subcommittee on Cyber Crime and Intellectual Property." [Read more]

"The American Red Cross issued the following memorandum for op-ed page editors and journalists, in response to an op-ed article by Richard M. Walden, president and CEO of Operation USA, which appeared in Sunday editions of the Los Angeles Times:

The article contains many inaccurate and misleading assertions about the American Red Cross. Below is a matrix containing a point-by-point refutation of the assertions in the article." [Read more]

"A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on the Pentagon to probe allegations that American troops in Iraq are using photographs of Iraqi corpses as "currency" to gain access to Internet pornography. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the grisly practice, which the Washington-based group says may violate international laws of war, came to light in recent media reports." [Read more]

"The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush to the travel pool in Texas:

Southeast Texas Regional Airport, Beaumont, Texas

10:58 a.m. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: I just met with local county judges and mayors, along with the Governor. Obviously this area is hurt. The Governor knows that. I saw it firsthand how it's hurt. We've got some priorities that we're in the process of working together to achieve." [Read more]

"The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said today it is beginning a public education effort to educate Florida tourists and potential Florida tourists that effective Oct. 1 they face a greater risk of bodily harm within the state of Florida.

That is the date that the state's new "Shoot First" law also known as the "Stand Your Ground" law, goes into effect." [Read more]

"The following Fact Sheet on the "Contract with America" was released today by the Republican National Committee:

"Eleven years ago, a group of men and women gathered together to lay out a positive agenda for a stronger, more prosperous and more compassionate America. Some called these men and women foolhardy. The American people called them the new majority. Republicans have maintained our majority because we've remained true to the Contract's goals." [Read more]

"Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) is pushing the administration to act quickly to help small business owners impacted by Hurricane Katrina. In the four weeks since the hurricane struck the Gulf Coast, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved only four loans for small businesses -- none of which are in Louisiana." [Read more]

"Spurred on by the UN's serious structural and management failures, the House of Representatives in June approved the Henry J. Hyde United Nations Reform Act of 2005 which establishes a timetable for 46 specific reforms using U.S. dues payments as leverage for change." [Read more]

"Today, President Bush said that given record gas prices, the American people must make sacrifices. Specifically, he said that Americans should avoid driving on trips that are "not essential" and that federal agencies should "curtail nonessential travel." (President Bush, 9/26/05) At the same time, Bush's big oil cronies are seeing record profits and the Bush Administration refuses to take active measures to help reduce the cost of oil for America's working families." [Read more]

"Cities across the country are focusing their attentions on improving race relations in their communities as part of the 6th Annual Race Equality Week held September 26 to 30. Sponsored by the National League of Cities (NLC), cities and towns from Riverside, California to St. Petersburg, Florida are holding activities to underscore the importance of racial justice in building strong and family-friendly communities. Events include a range of efforts, including forums and special gatherings, community engagement initiatives, and issuing proclamations." [Read more]

"No one (except perhaps oil companies?) likes high gasoline prices. But now price increases linked to the Katrina catastrophe are prompting some in Congress to recycle bad ideas and promote legislation that would weaken health and environmental protections, according to Clean Air Watch. That would mean dirtier air -- and more public health damage." [Read more]

"HIV/AIDS activists and health and education advocacy groups around the world are growing increasingly frustrated about why developing countries cannot provide better health and education for their people, especially as the HIV/AIDS crisis worsens. Tomorrow's conference, featuring lauded experts from across the globe, will explore how economic policies and budget constraints on public spending can both help and hurt developing nations as they struggle to uplift their populations in need." [Read more]

"Following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush on the energy supply:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, Washington, D.C.

10:59 a.m. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank Secretary Bodman for welcoming us here at the Energy Department; Secretary Norton. We've just had a full briefing on what we know thus far about the effects of Hurricane Rita on the energy situation in the Gulf of Mexico. A lot of our production comes from the Gulf, and when you have a Hurricane Katrina followed by a Hurricane Rita, it's natural, unfortunately, that it's going to affect supply." [Read more]

"As Congress finalizes the wording on the 2006 Agricultural Appropriations bill in the House/Senate Conference Committee, thousands of consumers are mobilizing across the U.S. to stop an industry-sponsored "Sneak Attack" on Organic Standards contained in a rider to the bill. Over the past week, members of the Organic Consumers Association have bombarded Congress with over 54,000 emails and 10,000 phone calls, heading off passage of the Sneak Attack rider in the U.S. Senate." [Read more]

"China is considering reopening the domestic trade in tigers and tiger parts, banned there since 1993, a move that would spell disaster for the already endangered species, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC." [Read more]

"Sens. George McGovern and Bob Dole, and former seminary president Donald Messer will speak at the National Press Club on Sept. 29 celebrating the release of their new book, "Ending Hunger Now: A Challenge to Persons of Faith." Ending Hunger Now brings together three powerful, bipartisan voices behind a shared conviction: that helping the millions who lack basic provision for food has become a religious imperative and human priority." [Read more]

"Violent and property crime rates in 2004 remained at the lowest levels since the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) first conducted its annual National Criminal Victimization Survey in 1973, the Department of Justice announced today." [Read more]

"House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) today announced an extensive and detailed Committee examination of the Voting Rights Act will begin later this year, including plans for more than a half-dozen Committee hearings.

Chairman Sensenbrenner stated, "The Voting Rights Act has brought voting rights to millions of Americans previously denied their right to vote. While some sections of the law will not expire until 2007, I strongly believe now is the time for the Judiciary Committee to begin a thorough examination to reauthorize this critical legislation." [Read more]

"The following is a transcript of remarks by the President at the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

FEMA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

12:32 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I stopped by the center to get a full briefing on Rita. We're now facing yet another big storm, and I appreciate the folks here who are working so hard to help the folks on the ground prepare for the storm." [Read more]

"Save the Children is preparing to expand its emergency response efforts -- currently focused on helping thousands of children forced from their homes by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi -- to other areas along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Rita, scheduled to make landfall by late Friday or early Saturday morning." [Read more]

"For better or worse, the foundation of plastic surgery is war, with the awful injuries it inflicts on its participants. In fact, it was the "War to End All Wars," World War I, that catapulted plastic surgery into a new and higher realm. With this latest conflict in Iraq, plastic surgery, once again, is integral to saving and restoring soldiers' lives." [Read more]

"Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) announced his opposition to Judge John Roberts Thursday questioning Roberts' commitment to fundamental rights protected by the Constitution "fully embraced by the American people" including the right to abortion.

In his statement Thursday, Biden also argued that "in my view, 'the Constitution' envisions an ever-increasing protection -- not diminishing, not static" of the right to privacy and abortion." [Read more]

"The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) today criticized the Open Society Institute (OSI), a private foundation funded and controlled by billionaire George Soros, for reportedly threatening to sue the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to today's Wall Street Journal, OSI "warns the U.S. Agency for International Development it plans to file suit today over requirement that recipients of federal AIDS grants pledge to oppose prostitution. The group would be the second charity to challenge the policy, which AIDS activists say stigmatizes prostitutes and makes it harder to fight the disease." [Read more]

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