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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of May 18, 2008

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

Bulletin Board:

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at Democratic Headquarters,
640 Barret Avenue .

Bill Moyers Journal Focuses on Health Care and Nurses’ Role in Reform by Mike Hall

Intensive care nurse Geri Jenkins says that a 67-year-old male patient with a history of four heart attacks, a quadruple bypass and an implanted defibrillator and about to take a high stress job “would be uninsurable for having a pre-existing condition.”

Unless, of course, he was Dick Cheney and about to become the vice president of the United States in 2001. Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of the California Nurses Association/ National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), says Cheney

can have the choice of doctors. He can go to any hospital. He can have excellent standard of care. And he’s alive today because of it. And there are a lot of people who aren’t….We, as the public, pay for Dick Cheney’s care. Why not—why is the government not providing the same type of care to all Americans?

DeMoro and Jenkins, a member of the CNA/NNOC Council of Presidents, were featured in the May 9 edition of “Bill Moyers Journal‘ on PBS that examined the nation’s broken health care system and the role the nurses’ union is playing in the drive for health care reform.

The Cheney example of the huge inequities in who receives health care, and who doesn’t, is the centerpiece of the union’s recent ad campaign calling for guaranteed health care for all.

Reporter Rick Karr told viewers:

Some very determined people are taking up the fight for universal health care. They’re nurses—who day in and day out—encounter the human consequences of a broken system.

DeMoro told Karr:

Every registered nurse in this country advocates for her patient at the bedside. She’s there. She’s the last line of defense for the patients. She fights for the patients against hospital corporations, often putting her own job in jeopardy. And you can’t fight for your patient without changing the social structure in which that care is delivered. So, registered nurses, organized by us, have become a pretty dramatic force in this country to change the healthcare system.

If you look at health care in America, there is no health care system. There’s a health care industry. The major objective is profit-making. Which means not providing the patient all of the care that they need, discharging patients early, patients without insurance being treated differently than wealthy people, frankly. And that is the healthcare system in America. Those who can afford it get to live and those who can’t suffer needlessly.

Click here to view the show or read the full transcript.

Comments:

Subject: June 4 - July 4

Are we Americans as dumb as we appear or is it that we just do not think? While the Chinese, knowingly and intentionally, export inferior products and dangerous toys and goods to be sold in American markets, the media wrings its hands and criticizes the Bush Administration for perceived errors. Yet 70% of Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended.

THINK!!! Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges? DO IT YOURSELF!!

Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China ' or 'PRC' (and that now includes Hong Kong), simply choose another product or none at all. You will be amazed at how dependent you(WE) are on Chinese products, however you will be equally amazed at what you can do without. Who needs plastic eggs to celebrate Easter? If you must have eggs, use real ones and benefit some American farmer Easter is just an example, the point is.. do not wait for the government to act. Just go ahead and assume control on your own.

FOR FLAG DAY ON JUNE 14TH, PURCHASE U.S .FLAGS MADE IN THE U.S, NOT CHINA!!

If 200 million Americans refuse to buy just $20 each of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor...fast!!
The downside? Some American businesses will feel a temporary pinch from having foreign stockpiles of inventory. ** Downside??

The solution?

Let's give them fair warning and send our own message. We will not implement this UNTIL June 4, and we will only continue it until July 4. That is only one month of trading losses, but it will hit the Chinese for 1/12th of the total, or 8%, of their American exports. Then they will at least have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness were worth it.

Remember, June 4 to July 4. Show them we are Americans and NOBODY can take us for granted.

If we can't live without cheap Chinese goods for one month out of our lives,

WE DESERVE WHAT WE GET!

Pass it on America !!!

DAILY GRILL

“I'm a peace man." -- President Bush, 5/12/08

VERSUS

Q: There is no selective military strike that could be considered [on Iran or Syria]?
BUSH: Well, there's always -- as you know, there's always that option. I made it very clear during my presidency: that option is on the table. -- Bush, 5/12/08

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"Sometimes, words have consequences you don't intend them to mean. 'Bring 'em on' is the classic example. ... I don’t know if you'd call it a regret, but it certainly is a lesson that a president must be mindful of, that the words that you sometimes say." -- President Bush, 1/13/05

VERSUS

Q: What did the President say to you last 9/11 anniversary, and what does it tell us about his leadership?
REID: Well, I was complaining about what was going on and he basically said, "Bring 'em on. We're killing them. We're killing them." -- MSNBC interview with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), 5/9/08

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"We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history." -- President Bush, 5/15/08, on diplomatic engagement with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad

VERSUS

"We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage...and then sit down and talk with [Iran]." -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 5/14/08

Quotes of the Day

A candidate for Senate moves mountains. Bob Schaffer, Republican candidate for Senate in Colorado, launched his campaign yesterday with an ad proclaiming, "Colorado is my life." The snow-capped mountain appearing in the background, however, is a photo of Mt. McKinley, which is North America's highest peak -- and which sits in Alaska, not Colorado. Campaign manager Dick Wadhams insisted, "The message is still good."

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Recent Senate Votes

Cloture Motion: FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Vote Rejected (49-42, 9 Not Voting)

The Senate fell short of the sixty votes needed to end debate on this bill to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted NO

Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

Recent House Votes

Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (239-188, 6 Not Voting)

The House voted to provide $15 billion to states and municipalities for the purchase and rehabilitation of foreclosed homes.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Amendment to American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act - Vote Passed (266-154, 13 Not Voting)

The House passed a comprehensive housing-stimulus bill through three separate votes, including this measure authorizing the Federal Housing Administration to help refinance as much as $300 billion of subprime loans.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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HUMOR

“Hillary Clinton's campaign right now, this very minute, is $20 million in debt. Now, when she gets that 3 a.m. call, it's from a collection agency." --David Letterman

"Well, as reported, some Democrats are quietly sending word to Hillary that it's over. And Hillary's people said it's not over until the fat lady sings. To which Bill said, 'There's a fat lady? Where?'" --Jay Leno

"I don't know if Barack Obama's getting tired or what, but in a recent speech, Barack Obama made a mistake. He said he had visited all 57 states. Yeah, that's what he said. After hearing this, President Bush said, 'Haha, he forgot Alaska and Hawaii!'" --Conan O'Brien

"John Edwards has officially endorsed Barack Obama. They say the endorsement will help Obama win what's known as Hillary Democrats. You know what Hillary Democrats are? Those are Democrats who like to knock back whisky shots while pretending to duck sniper fire." --Jay Leno

"Some people are saying there could be an Obama-Edwards ticket. Others think there should be an Obama-Hillary ticket. And today former Gov. of New Jersey Jim McGreevey said, 'Hey, why not a three-way?" --Jay Leno

"Jenna Bush is getting married over the weekend. But she did not sign a prenup. Apparently, the family doesn't believe in exit strategies." --Craig Ferguson

"That was so sweet, because at the reception, President Bush danced with his lovely daughter. It's the first time he has led in eight years." --David Letterman

"Yesterday on 'Live with Regis and Kelly,' John McCain showed one of his baby pictures. That was nice. The picture was on loan from the Museum of Natural History. Yeah, it was beautiful. It shows him discovering fire and bringing it to the village." --Conan O'Brien

"Well, John McCain said in his speech today, if he is elected president, he will fight evil. Until then, he will just continue to fight incontinence." --Jay Leno

"Director Oliver Stone is making a movie about President Bush that's called 'W.' He's also making a movie about John McCain called 'No Country for Old Men.'" --Conan O'Brien

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CONGRESS -- GOP HOUSE BILL BUCKS BUSH ON SIGNING STATEMENTS: Throughout the last seven years, President Bush has issued an "unprecedented number" of signing statements on bills he has signed into law -- either innocuously commenting on the bill or signaling an intent to ignore part or all of the law he just signed. But yesterday, Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) introduced "the Presidential Signing Statements Act" in an effort to provide some congressional oversight of these practices. "To enable a more complete public understanding of our nation's laws, the U.S. Congress should also be able to call for the executive's explanation of the meaning and justification for a presidential signing statement," Jones said. The bill would also require the president to submit copies of the signing statements to Congress and require them to be published in the Federal Register

RADICAL RIGHT -- RIGHT WING DOCTORS AUDIO CLIPS TO DISTORT GORE'S COMMENTS ABOUT MYANMAR CYCLONE: Last week, the Business & Media Institute (BMI), a right-wing front group founded by Brent Bozell, spliced and doctored an NPR interview of Al Gore in order to allege that Gore said something that he did not. The organization published a false headline claiming Gore called the recent Myanmar cyclone a "consequence" of global warming. But in the NPR interview, Gore asserted that melting polar ice caps (which are unequivocally due to global warming) -- not cyclones -- were a "consequence" of global warming. BMI inverted Gore's comments to make it seem like his remarks about the cyclones followed from his remarks about "the consequences of global warming." Last week, Fox News promoted the doctored clip to make the same false allegations about what Gore actually said. Host Steve Doocy had Dr. William Gray, who has claimed that manmade global warming is “a big scam," on to discuss the issue. CNN's Glenn Beck pushed the false story on his show on May 7.

'CONSERVATIVES ARE ANGRY': McCain's global warming plan -- because it makes some effort to address this critical problem -- violates the right-wing ideology that considers any governmental solutions anathema. In the words of Sean Hannity last night on Fox News, "Conservatives are angry." Rush Limbaugh said, "I have not faced a situation where a major Republican presidential candidate sounds just like a liberal Democrat. This is embarrassing, and it is frightening." The National Review's Larry Kudlow lambasted McCain's plan as a "huge government command-and-control operation that taxes, spends, and regulates on a grand scale." Conservative economist Ray Cordato attacked McCain's "massive new tax increase on energy." Newsbusters writer Ken Shepherd said McCain was attempting to put a "Adam Smith happy face on a Karl Marx mandate."

EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY'S HONORING OF ANTI-FEMINIST PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY CREATES UPROAR: Earlier this month, Washington University in St. Louis announced it would award anti-feminist activist Phyllis Schlafly an honorary degree at Friday's graduation ceremony. The announcement sparked swift protests from students and faculty. Yesterday, 14 faculty members of the Washington University School of Law wrote a sharp letter asking the school's chancellor to rescind the award. They objected to honoring "a person who has devoted her life to staking out and promoting polarizing, anti-intellectual positions" and said her views "are antithetical to some of the most fundamental principles for which this University stands." A petition asking the chancellor to rescind Schlafly's award has 240 faculty signatures. Schlafly was unrepentant, yesterday calling her detractors "a bunch of bitter women," adding, "I'm not going to let a bunch of tacky women ruin my day." Her advice to them? "Get a life. Move on. Try to do something with your life." But Schlafly has vociferously criticized women who do try to "do something" with their lives by working outside the home. "The flight from the home is a flight from yourself, from responsibility, from the nature of woman, in pursuit of false hopes and fading illusions," she once said.

Think Fast

A House Judiciary Committee deadline passed yesterday "with former White House adviser Karl Rove standing by his refusal to testify about allegations that he pushed the Justice Department to prosecute former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman." Rove instead sent a letter offering to respond to questions in writing, rather than testify publicly under oath.

$0.109: amount the average gallon of gasoline increased in one week, up to $3.722, setting a fourth consecutive record.

The House and Senate are expected to defy the White House today and pass legislation that would require the administration to halt oil shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. "The strong bipartisan support represents a major shift for Republicans, who until now have generally followed the lead of President Bush."

House Republicans have adopted a new message: "The Change You Deserve." But "the change you deserve" is also the advertising slogan of Effexor XR, a drug used to treat depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder in adults.

In an interview yesterday, President Bush said he wasn't "misled" into invading Iraq. "You know, 'mislead' is a strong word; it almost connotes some kind of intentional -- I don't think so. ... Intelligence communities all across the world shared the same assessment. And so I was disappointed to see how flawed our intelligence was," Bush said. "Do I think somebody lied to me? No, I don't."

On Tuesday, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers predicted that "her constitutional clash with Congress over executive privilege" may not be settled until after Bush leaves office. "It wouldn’t surprise me if it extended beyond this administration," said Miers, who was cited for contempt by Congress after refusing to testify about her role in the U.S. attorney scandal.

President Bush said that when he leaves the White House, the first thing he'll do is resume e-mailing his buddies. "I can remember as governor, I could stay in touch with all kinds of people around the country firing off e-mails at all times of the day to stay in touch with my pals," he said.

The Senate "rejected a Republican energy plan that promised to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration, an option that was part of an overall package to increase domestic energy development." Instead, the Senate "voted 97-1 to suspend oil deposits in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve" as gas prices continue to climb.

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INTERESTING

Again, why go with what the public wants in a democracy when you can simply....
... do what the King Coal lobbyist tell you to do.

John Cheves shows where our dwindling budget dollars are going, in Jim Gooch's Kentucky.

FRANKFORT — Kentucky gives about $400,000 a year in tax dollars to the coal industry for public campaigns that promote mining, including the controversial practice of mountaintop removal.

The money is funneled through non-profit groups controlled by the coal industry, such as the Kentucky Foundation, which is run out of the Lexington office of the Kentucky Coal Association and led by Bill Caylor, the association's president, according to tax and corporate records.

The money is used largely for statewide classroom programs designed "to carry a positive message about the coal industry," according to records. A Web site with teaching materials and games describes mountaintop removal mining as "simply the right thing to do -- both for the environment and for the local economy -- a true win-win."

And what's sickening is that they knew this was wrong when presented with this ugly fact.

State officials ordered the Web site's content altered to sound more neutral this week after the Herald-Leader asked about it. SOURCE

Frank Simon Rears His Hateful Head Again

Crazy/bigoted/racist/sexist/homophobic/anti-semitic hack Frank Simon is back in action. No, he’s not blaming the Holocaust on us gays again. This time he’s endorsing Democratic candidates who not only don’t want his endorsement but never asked for his endorsement. We received reports of Simon’s activities and immediately started digging. One endorsee’s name stuck out at us. Turns out Simon chose to endorse Brent Ackerson, a Democrat running for Louisville’s Metro Council in the 26th District.

I gave Brent a call at his home last evening to get to the bottom of things. He told me– emphatically– that he never sought Simon’s endorsement, doesn’t want his endorsement and wholly denounces his endorsement. So that should set the record straight in the ongoing saga of Simon craziness.

This isn’t the first time Frank Simon has pulled this trick. He did the same thing in 2006 when he endorsed Charlie Cunningham, who was running for judge at the time. Charlie never sought nor wanted Simon’s endorsement. It’s just a tactic he uses to harm people he doesn’t like, has a grudge against or wants to lose in the general election. It’s time local media woke up to Simon’s shenanigans and put an end to them once and for all. And the Republican Party should denounce his offensive activity. SOURCE

Free bumper sticker

New polls show that John McCain's biggest liability is how close he is to George Bush. In fact, it's one of the most persuasive messages to get voters to oppose McCain.

We're offering a free bumper sticker to every MoveOn member to spread the message. Click here to get yours:

http://pol.moveon.org/stickers/?id=12666-289197-Xn4dKd&t=3

If hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members put these stickers on their cars, bikes, doors, and windows, we'll help make it clear to voters everywhere that having McCain in the White House would be like four more years of Bush.

These bumper stickers are high-quality and will look great wherever you stick 'em. Click below to get your free bumper sticker, no strings attached!

https://pol.moveon.org/stickers/?id=12666-289197-Xn4dKd&t=5

Thanks for all you do.

–Noah, Michael, Peter, Patrick S., and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team

Buy American Mention of the Week

Being red, white, and blue while going green, By Roger Simmermaker

If you’ve been paying attention to the presidential primaries on either side of the aisle, chances are you’ve heard about two major themes from both the former and the remaining presidential candidates: the economy and the environment.

Former 2008 republican presidential candidate Duncan Hunter (CA) urged Americans in a pre-Christmas 2008 republican debate to buy American when we shopped for Christmas gifts. Many of the democratic candidates have made trade policy and the environment a major issue, and all the remaining candidates continue to talk about their vision to create jobs and bolster the American economy.

Regardless of how you feel about global warming, most Americans agree that protecting the environment is a good idea, but how do you go green and remain red, white and blue, too? You can buy American and buy what’s good for the environment at the same time by purchasing Preserve products at www.recycline.com.

Preserve products are available at thousands of retail locations in the United States including Target stores, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market -- exclusive carrier of the Preserve Kitchen line of products. You can use their online store finder to locate the stores nearest you.

Buying American doesn’t have to be something you consider only when buying big ticket items like automobiles, washing machines and lawnmowers. We can also have a positive, powerful impact on the U.S. economy at the places we shop more often and as a result probably end up spending more of our hard-earned cash. Unless you live Alaska, Hawaii or Vermont, chances are there is a Target store near you. Contradictory to the mass email you might have seen about Target stores being owned by the French, I can confidently say through my research that Target is an American-owned, U.S. publicly-traded company based in Minneapolis, MN.

All Preserve products are made in the USA, with the exception of the replaceable steel blades contained in their razors which come from Mexico. You could buy BIC razors made in USA, but in doing so you would be supporting a French company since Société BIC has its corporate headquarters in Clichy, France.

But you don’t have to go to American-owned Target or any other brick-and-mortar retailer to find and buy Preserve products. By visiting www.recycline.com you can find American-made personal care, tableware and kitchen products. Check out their personal care line of razors, toothbrushes, tongue cleaners and flavored toothpicks. Their tableware line includes dishwasher safe plates, tumblers and cutlery. Preserve’s kitchen line features colanders, cutting boards and food storage items.

All Preserve plastic products are made from 100% recycled plastic including Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups which have kept tons of plastic out of America’s landfills. And you can return Preserve toothbrushes, razor handles and tongue cleaners to the company so they can have a second life as plastic lumber for park benches, decks and more.

Products like these are the kind that most consumers are really indifferent as to which ones to buy. Usually just about any toothbrush will do, any razor will do, and who cares what brand of plastic cutlery you buy as long as it does the job? And when you buy made-in-America products in any category, you are helping the environment by avoiding unnecessary world trade.

Excessive world trade is not only responsible for the loss of good-paying American jobs and the increase of sweatshops in China and other foreign countries. According to an April 2, 2007 Business Week article, global warming can be added to the list of negatives that come from excessive world trade. Over 90,000 commercial vessels crossing the oceans are responsible for more carbon dioxide than 29 industrialized nations combined. These vessels emit more sulfur dioxide than all the earth’s cars, trucks, and buses, and are responsible for one-sixth of the atmosphere’s nitrogen oxide.

The outsize emissions at sea reflect the limitations of world politics. While national governments have forced giant reductions in discharges from vehicles and smokestacks, the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization has maintained looser limits on ships, in part because 139 countries are involved in crafting controls. Some ships, for example, contain an average 27,000 parts per million of sulfur, where American standards don’t allow diesel fuel to have over 15 parts per million.

For patriotic-minded consumers who want to buy American products that save energy and preserve precious natural resources at the same time, patronizing Preserve products is a good place to start.

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes “Buy American Mention of the Week” articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily.com.

GOOD NEWS

As part of an overall effort to "boost benefits for service members and veterans," the House Armed Services Committee approved a defense spending authorization bill early on Thursday that includes "a 3.9 percent pay raise for troops" and "a prohibition on increased health care fees" -- benefits that are "more than President Bush wants."

VIDEOS

Warning, a Jim Pence Video

Countdown Special Comment to President Bush: “Shut the hell up.”

McCain Revealed: The Briefing Book

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