February 2006

"New York Law School is hosting "A Conference on Perspectives on Post-conflict Constitutionalism." This all-day event will examine the constitution-making processes in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the theoretical implications of Post-conflict constitutionalism.

DATE: Friday, March 3

Speakers include:

-- Professor Michel Rosenfeld, president, U.S. Association of Constitutional Law; Justice Sydney L. Robins Professor of Human Rights and Director, Program on Security, Democracy, and the Rule of Law, Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University." [Read more]

"The fact that the National Guard and Reserves are changing from a strategic reserve to more of an operational reserve in support of day-to-day missions around the world -- in addition to their unprecedented homeland security commitments and continuing disaster response roles -- is driving the need for the sweeping, in-depth assessment the Commission is charged to carry out. The work of the Commission is underway at a time when the operational tempo of the National Guard and Reserves has increased significantly: As of the end of October 2005, well over 46 percent of the 826,500 servicemen and women currently in the nation's Selected Reserve had been mobilized to active duty -- their highest mobilization rate since the Korean War." [Read more]

"International aid agency Oxfam America has released "Recovering States: Six Months After the Storm," detailing the status of Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina six months ago, federal funding that may not reach the people who need it most, and other statistics related to rebuilding and endemic poverty rates in Louisiana and Mississippi." [Read more]

"The withdrawal of historical documents from the open shelves of the National Archives initiated by some national security agencies was a focus of the inaugural meeting of the Public Interest Declassification Board held in Washington, DC on Feb. 25.

L. Britt Snider, appointed by President Bush to chair the Board, stressed that the Board is charged with responsibility for promoting the greatest possible access to the documentary record of our democracy, while recognizing legitimate national security concerns." [Read more]

"While it is positive to see the residents of Louisiana returning to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras, there is still more work to be done to help homeowners and business owners rebuild six months after Hurricane Katrina," said Senator Kerry, Ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. "And for those still waiting for disaster loans, there's very little to celebrate. There are more than 65,000 homeowners and business owners throughout the Gulf Coast still waiting to receive their disaster loans, so they too can be part of the area's economic recovery. On top of this delay, the Administration's mismanagement nearly resulted in the program shutting its doors twice this month. Investing in homeowners and business owners and awarding local firms federal contracts is what we must do to get Louisiana and the whole Gulf Coast back on the road to recovery." [Read more]

"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) released the following statement in response to the Commerce Department's report on Tuesday showing a GDP rate of 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter, faster growth than expected.

"This economy is like a heavyweight boxing champ: strong, sturdy and still swinging. After fighting through a recession, terrorist attacks, and a devastating hurricane season, it's too bad that the economy still has to contend with Democratic naysayers who want to talk it down. Republican pro-jobs policies sparked this economic growth and provide proof that the tax relief needs to be permanent." [Read more]

"More than a year has passed since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. Rather than bringing domestic peace and stability, the departure of Syrian troops last April has been followed by a string of security incidents and assassinations of Damascus's opponents in Lebanon and has ushered in sectarian and political divisions within the country's ruling elite.

The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings will host a discussion to examine the prospects and challenges for wholesale reform and state-rebuilding in Lebanon featuring Lebanese Member of Parliament Walid Jumblatt, a leader of the March 14 coalition and one of the most vocal critics of Syrian interference in Lebanon." [Read more]

"Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman addressed the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) today at the JCPA Annual Plenum. The following are excerpts from Chairman Mehlman's remarks as prepared for delivery:

"Ladies and gentlemen, for half a century, Israel has been our strongest ally in the Middle East.

"And President Bush will continue to stand by that nation, unhesitatingly, unapologetically, unwavering, as he has for five years now." [Read more]

"Western governors today called on Congress and the administration to approve a comprehensive national immigration policy that will strengthen security along the southern border, create a temporary guest worker program without amnesty to meet specific workforce needs, and provide reimbursement for local and state governments now filling the enforcement void." [Read more]

"Several Illinois-based manufacturers of sporting arms will hold a press conference to voice their opposition to HB2414, the Blagojevich Assault Weapons Ban. Representatives of the manufacturers will discuss the failings of the bill along with the significant impact the bill would have on the Illinois economy -- including a direct loss of over 750 jobs and $150 Million in manufacturing sales. The bill would also cause non- Illinois firearms makers to suffer over $200 million in lost annual retail sales statewide." [Read more]

"Fidelis, a national Catholic-based advocacy organization encouraged Governor Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) to sign House Bill 1215, a bill that would protect women by banning most abortions in South Dakota. The bill is widely viewed as a "frontal assault" on Roe v. Wade." [Read more]

"Senator McCain has a lot of explaining to do when he makes his port call in New York today," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. "New Yorkers are wondering why McCain would allow a President with so little credibility on port security so much leeway on a deal that would entrust a foreign country with managing cargo coming in and out of the port facilities in New York and other ports along our coast." [Read more]

"Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., will deliver a major speech on energy to the Governors' Ethanol Coalition at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association on Tuesday. Senator Obama's remarks will focus on a plan to make America independent of risky foreign sources of oil and will follow a speech by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman." [Read more]

"Catholic, Evangelical Christian, Protestant, and Jewish leaders will speak out on the need for comprehensive immigration reform as the U.S. Senate takes up consideration of legislation that will change the nation's immigration laws. In December, the U.S. House of Representatives passed enforcement-only legislation that would bring undue harm to legal immigrants, asylum- seekers, and refugees in this country; potentially criminalize assistance offered by faith workers; and fail to solve our nation's immigration crisis." [Read more]

"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter has just circulated his version of a bill to establish a vast guestworker program that would legalize millions of illegal aliens and import an unlimited number of additional workers from abroad, in addition to unprecedented increases in legal immigration. Its passage would set the stage for a conflict with the House of Representatives, which approved a comprehensive enforcement measure in December." [Read more]

"Members of the media are invited to this rare opportunity to hear firsthand from Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal about reforms underway in the Kingdom. He will also give an assessment of the current Saudi/U.S. relationship and discuss Saudi/U.S. counterterrorism cooperation." [Read more]

"The South Dakota legislature, which approved a "Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act" by wide margins last week, "has done the entire nation a tremendous service," Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson declared today. "In carefully assembling the most current science in the field of molecular biology, they have blown a hole in the weakest and most disingenuous underpinning of Roe v. Wade -- the notion that the question of when human life begins could not be answered." [Read more]

"The unanimous passage of a proclamation drafted by a Christian fundamentalist group advocating conservative social values -- including a narrow definition of marriage -- has put the town council here at the center of a fight over separation of church and state." [Read more]

"Peace Action today denounced the plan for President George Bush to lay a memorial wreath in honor of Mohandas K. Gandhi when visiting India next week. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley announced the plan at a White House press briefing yesterday." [Read more]

"Following is the text of President Bush's radio address to the nation today:

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Sunday and Monday, I will meet with America's governors during their annual gathering in Washington, D.C. As a former governor, I appreciate the work of these fine public servants. I look forward to talking with them about the challenges and opportunities facing their states and our nation and discussing how leaders of both parties can work together to solve problems for our citizens." [Read more]

"Nobel Peace Prize Laureates today called for the endorsement of a new United Nations Human Rights Council by the international community. The letter was released following Thursday's presentation of the Council framework by UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson.

A joint initiative from Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the letter says that the proposed new Council "will be more responsive to human rights violations and fairer in its review of human rights practices. It will also preserve and build on the strengths of the existing Commission on Human Rights." [Read more]

"Tribal leaders, members of Congress, journalists, scholars, and religious leaders will gather in Washington, March 2 - 3, for the conference, "Hear Our Story: Communications and Contemporary Native Americans." Native and non-Native leaders will discuss the contemporary situation of American Indians and explore ways to overcome invisibility and to challenge distorted depictions of indigenous people in the United States." [Read more]

"Just days after scandal-plague Republican fundraiser and Bush-Cheney Pioneer Tom Noe was indicted on 53 criminal counts for his involvement in an investment scheme that robbed the Ohio Workers Compensation Bureau out of more than $13 million, the Associated Press today reported that two more indictments have been handed down in the case." [Read more]

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

Capital Hilton Hotel

Washington, D.C.

10 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: We remain a nation at war. The war reached our shores on September the 11th, 2001, when our nation awoke to a sudden attack. Like generations before us, we have accepted new responsibilities, and we will confront these dangers with firm resolve. (Applause.)

Our most important duty is to defend the American people, and so we're taking the fight to those who attacked us. We're taking the fight to those who share their murderous vision for future attacks. We will take this fight to the enemy without wavering, and we will prevail." [Read more]

"Starting March 4, approximately 165,000 Gulf Coast families left jobless by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will reach the end of their unemployment benefits unless Congress acts to extend their assistance. Before the recess, the Senate passed legislation to extend the jobless benefits, but the House has yet to act.

In the housing area, continued poor performance by FEMA is raising mounting concern. The briefing will discuss a series of new CBPP proposals to make more effective use of the federal disaster relief and reconstruction funds being devoted to housing..." [Read more]

"The U.S. / Mexico Border Counties Coalition (USMBCC), in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso Institute for Policy and Economic Development, will release the most detailed statistical data compiled in more than a decade, outlining the top 10 most difficult challenges faced by America's 24 counties bordering Mexico." [Read more]

The following is a statement by Paul Blank, campaign director for WakeUpWalMart.com, regarding Lee Scott's upcoming speech to the National Governor's Association:

"Unfortunately, Wal-Mart's CEO Lee Scott still doesn't get it. While Wal-Mart's proposed changes to their health care plan are certainly long overdue, and we certainly support expanding benefits to part-timers, the Wal-Mart health care crisis infecting America cannot be solved by publicity stunts. Wal- Mart's proposed changes are clearly designed to try and salvage a faltering public image, rather than make substantive changes to improve health care benefits for its employees." [Read more]

"U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and Co-Chair of the Senate Task Force on Manufacturing, today responded to the National Association of Manufacturers and Manufacturing Institute report The Future Success of Small & Medium Manufacturers, which cited the Chinese government's unfair trade practices as harming America's manufacturing base." [Read more]

"Six months after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast and displacing more than 800,000 people from their homes, state and federal agencies are continuing to neglect poor communities, according to, "Recovering States: The Gulf Coast Six Months After the Storm," a report which will be released next week by international aid agency Oxfam America." [Read more]

"Today, 12 organizations, led by Alliance for Justice and American Civil Liberties Union, sent a letter to Congress opposing the grassroots lobbying disclosure provisions currently included in House and Senate lobbying reform bills. While these nonprofits applaud congressional efforts to eliminate corruption, they note that the grassroots lobbying disclosure provisions as currently written are redundant, problematic and infringe on the rights of Americans to petition their elected representatives." [Read more]

"Following repeated attempts to receive answers from federal government officials as to why basic health information for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Americans was removed from a Department of Health and Human Services Web site at the demands of an extremist organization, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) praised Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin's swift move to demand an explanation and correction to the situation." [Read more]

"The federal government has not done enough to meet the housing needs of poor residents affected by the 2005 hurricanes, according to a new analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which also details several policy recommendations for Congress in this area.

"The rebuilding from the hurricanes has only begun," said Will Fischer, the report's primary author. "But the course that has been charted to date indicates that many low-income hurricane victims will not be provided the means to return home and secure housing that they can afford." [Read more]

"Following is a transcript of remarks by The President after meeting with Cabinet members today:

The Cabinet Room

9:16 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. My Cabinet just met to get a report from Fran Townsend about the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. On September the 6th, I asked Fran to conduct a thorough review of the federal response to Katrina and to make recommendations about how we can better respond in the future. I wasn't satisfied with the federal response. Fran and her team produced a lessons learned document, and she just briefed the Cabinet about lessons learned." [Read more]

"Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the nation's leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman's right to choose, called the passage by both houses of South Dakota's legislature of a criminal ban on abortion throughout pregnancy a monumental setback for women.

"The actions of the South Dakota legislature are a chilling reminder of the lengths to which anti-choice lawmakers will go to interfere in our most difficult and personal decisions," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America." [Read more]

"More than 25 million Americans -- including nearly 9 million children and 3 million seniors -- receive emergency food assistance each year from America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network of charitable agencies, representing an 8 percent increase since 2001, according to a report released today." [Read more]

"Today, the State Senate of South Dakota passed HB1215, a bill to protect the lives of women and children. The landmark legislation will make it illegal to terminate a pregnancy except to save the mother's life." [Read more]

"Experts warn that a pandemic flu outbreak could severely disrupt businesses and the economy. Fleishman-Hillard and Trust for America's Health are hosting a briefing featuring national experts to address how businesses, associations, and nonprofit organizations can better understand the challenges posed by a possible pandemic flu outbreak, with an emphasis on business continuity and communications issues." [Read more]

"The university- based OpenNet Initiative (ONI) today released a bulletin analyzing the effects to date of China's non-commercial website registration regulations on website owners and bloggers." [Read more]

"The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush to the Asia Society:

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Washington, D.C.

10:47 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: I came here today to talk about America's relationship with two key nations in Asia: India and Pakistan. These nations are undergoing great changes, and those changes are being felt all across the world. More than five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus set out for India and proved the world was round. Now some look at India's growing economy and say that that proves that the world is flat. (Laughter.) No matter how you look at the world, our relationship with these countries are important. They're important for our economic security, and they're important for our national security." [Read more]

"Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee alleging that Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) violated the Senate Gift Rule by accepting a mortgage from The Philadelphia Trust Company, a bank that serves affluent clients." [Read more]

"Following President Bush's strident threat to veto any legislation that blocks his deal with Dubai Ports World to operate major U.S. ports, the New York Times today revealed that his Administration skipped a mandatory 45-day review process of the deal. According to the article, a 1993 amendment to the law that created the Committee on Foreign Investment requires a 45-day investigation when "the acquiring company is controlled by or acting on behalf of a foreign government." [Read more]

"A new poll released today by Terror Free Tomorrow demonstrates that one year after the tsunami struck Indonesia, the dramatic increase in Indonesian support for the United States and against Bin Laden has continued. American humanitarian aid to tsunami victims last year caused an overwhelming change of opinion in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country. The new nationwide poll throughout Indonesia reveals that this dramatic shift has not only been sustained, but has strengthened." [Read more]

"The Air Force Association (AFA) is concerned about certain provisions in the President's Fiscal Year 2007 budget that could have an adverse impact on our nation's veterans and retirees and their families. The Bush administration's budget would significantly increase fees and co-pays for certain groups of individuals in both the TRICARE and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care systems." [Read more]

"The Save Darfur Coalition tonight will launch a 21,000 mile, 22-city, 11-state photo exhibit and speaking "Tour for Darfur: Eyewitness to Genocide" to raise public pressure on the Bush administration to end the genocide and build a lasting peace in the Darfur region of western Sudan, and on Congress to provide the resources necessary to do so. The tour will begin tonight at 7 p.m. at the Free Library of Philadelphia, the nation's first capital, and end in its current one, Washington, DC, with a "Rally to Stop Genocide" on April 30." [Read more]

"More than 300,000 victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- including 87,000 children and 10,000 seniors-have received assistance by the Catholic Charities network, with aid to Gulf Coast residents coming from as far away as Maine and Washington State.

To date, Catholic Charities USA has allocated more than $69 million to 76 local Catholic Charities agencies and other Catholic organizations responding to the needs of families affected by the hurricanes." [Read more]

"The vice president of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer, will present to the chairman of the Red Cross, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, a $25 million check for the Katrina relief fund. This contribution is part of the $500 million that the State of Kuwait pledged to the USA in its relief efforts towards the victims of Hurricane Katrina." [Read more]

"The U.S. Conference of Mayors sent letters to the U.S. House of Representatives, United States Senate and U.S. Department of Homeland Security today regarding port security. The letters to each group are listed below." [Read more]

"The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush upon arrival from his three-state trip to promote his energy policy:

The South Lawn

3:50 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: I've just come back from a really good trip to the Midwest and the West talking about our need to change how we use energy -- very encouraged by the technology that I saw and inspired by the scientists and engineers that are working on these new technologies.

And I also want to address another issue I just talked to the press about on Air Force One, and that is this issue of a company out of the UAE purchasing the right to manage some ports in the United States from a British company." [Read more]

"The following is a letter to President Bush by House Speaker Dennis Hastert:

The Honorable George W. Bush

President of the United States

Dear Mr. President:

It has come to my attention that there is a proposal by the Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates to provide operational management of six American seaports. I am very concerned about the national security implications that this could have for the safety of the American people. Therefore, I believe there should be an immediate moratorium placed on this seaport deal in order to further examine its effects on our port security." [Read more]

"On the eve of a crucial UN meeting on bird flu, ActionAid International warns that public health precautionary planning is not enough, warning that the poorest countries face an information blackout on bird flu, as health authorities are yet to produce simple education materials." [Read more]

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