The anti-conservation Alaska Board of Game has just voted to allow up to 900 wolves to be killed by the barbaric practice of aerial gunning. This is six times as many as were killed last winter.

You can help protect Alaska's wolves for future generations by adopting a wolf pup for someone on your holiday gift list: Adopt a wolf!

Last year, Governor Frank Murkowski authorized the aerial killing of wolves in Alaska. Families of wolves can be gunned down from airplanes, or run to exhaustion in the deep snow and then slaughtered when they are too fatigued to escape. 147 wolves were killed last winter by aerial gunning.

And once the snow falls, the killing will begin again. That's why I'd like to tell you about the Defenders of Wildlife wolf gift adoption program. At the wildlife adoption center you can make a truly meaningful - and critical - gift this holiday season by adopting a wolf for those special people on your holiday gift list.

To save the wolves targeted for slaughter this winter, we need 900 wolf adoptions in the next 72 hours. By sending a wolf gift adoption, you will help protect Alaska's wolves from those determined to kill them.

Your gift adoption will help fund:

Grassroots efforts to stop aerial gunning of wolves. Defenders is mobilizing Alaskans and people around the country, and has launched a national phone call program to the Governor's office.

Please call Governor Murkowski at (907) 465-3500 and urge him to stop aerial gunning.
Legal initiatives to fight for wolves in the courts. Defenders has petitioned the federal government to enforce the Federal Airborne Hunting Act - which clearly states that policies like Governor Murkowski's aerial gunning program are illegal.

Education and lobbying campaigns to promote wolf protection. Defenders is working to get the Alaskan tourism industry to pressure the governor to stop this senseless war on wolves. And when you adopt a wolf, Defenders of Wildlife will send your gift recipient a plush wolf toy and a personalized adoption certificate suitable for framing.

Help ensure a healthy future for America's wolves and pass on the legacy of stewardship and conservation to friends and family.

Go to the wildlife adoption center and make a wolf gift adoption today. http://www.care2.com/go/z/18762 The holidays will soon be here - please adopt a wolf today!

Thank you for caring,

The Board of Game has started issuing hunting permits. At least four wolves have already been killed - and this is just the beginning. Trophy hunters are now using airplanes to gun down wolves or run them to exhaustion, then land and shoot the helpless animals. 900 more wolves could die this winter - this is in addition to the 147 already killed under this barbaric practice. We still need your help:

If you have not yet adopted a wolf for the holidays, please do so today. Your tax-deductible emergency contribution ($25 would be great!) will help Defenders step up their public outreach, grassroots mobilization and media efforts to stop this slaughter, the worst since the 1950's.

We've already flooded Governor Murkowski's phone lines, demanding an end to the aerial killing of wolves in Alaska. Let's keep up the pressure: 907-465-3500.

The Federal Airborne Hunting Act (FAHA) was passed in 1971, in large measure to stop the aerial wolf killing in Alaska. Alaska's current practice is in clear violation of this law.

Sign this petition to urge President Bush to enforce FAHA in Alaska to stop the aerial gunning of wolves. Your help and support has been so critical in the campaign to save Alaska's wolves, and

I can't thank you enough. But we have a lot of work to do this winter. To be successful in stopping this barbaric practice, we must increase outreach and media efforts. We need to raise an additional $25,000 in the next 72 hours to help Defenders promote their online aerial gunning video, and your continued support is invaluable:

http://www.care2.com/go/z/19444

Together, we can stop the brutal massacre of Alaska's wolves

We may soon have a chance to help lower gas prices, decrease our dependence on oil and fight global warming by raising fuel economy standards.

Representatives Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Edward Markey (D-MA) will be proposing an amendment that would require an increase in the fuel economy of both cars and light trucks to 33 miles per gallon by 2016.

Click here to urge your member of Congress to vote for the Boehlert-Markey fuel economy amendment.

The Boehlert-Markey amendment would save an estimated $19 billion in fuel costs and give the average family an additional $495 savings at the pump every year, while taking a significant bite out of global warming pollution and our national dependence on oil.

We need to reduce our reliance on oil to ensure both the health and the safety of future generations. New technology exists today that would make our cars and trucks go much farther on a gallon of gas, a simple solution that would help reduce our dependence on oil. The average car on the road today gets less than 21 mpg--that's less than the Model T got!

Click here now to send an email to your Representative urging him or her to vote for the Markey-Boehlert fuel economy amendment.

This is the biggest single step we can take to help save money at the gas pump, curb global warming, and cut America’s oil dependence.

Once you’ve contacted your Representative, please forward this message to your friends, family and co-workers and ask them to join you in contacting Congress today.
Thank you again for your support,

Katelyn SabochikOnline Campaign Managerinfo@saveourenvironment.org

Two decades ago the world came together to “Save the Whales.” Thanks to public outcry across the planet, commercial whaling was banned, giving the world’s largest creatures a chance to recover from the brink of extinction.

But now, whales are once again facing danger on the high seas. Japan is poised to increase “scientific” whaling and push to overturn the 20-year-old whaling ban altogether.

Take action now. Write to the White House and tell them to step up pressure on Japan to stop whaling. Help us reach our goal of 25,000 comments by this Thursday!

the International Whaling Commission -- the body that regulates whaling -- will meet and discuss Japan’s proposals. The country is using economic aid to effectively buy votes to expand their hunts and overturn the whaling ban. Only diplomatic pressure with real consequences can make a difference.

Write to the White House and urge officials to oppose Japan's permanent membership on the UN Security Council until Japan complies with international laws for the protection of whales.

Your comments will be most effective if they are personalized. Tell officials why it is important to you that they do everything they can to save these magnificent animals.

Despite worldwide outcry, Japan continues to kill whales, saying it’s for “scientific” purposes -- even though scientists agree that there’s no need to kill whales in order to study them. Whale meat from these kills is then sold in supermarkets, restaurants and even school cafeterias.

And the kills are increasing. This year, Japan has killed more than 860 whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary -- nearly twice as many as last year. Now Japan wants to target species decimated during the peak of commercial whaling:

Humpbacks: known for their haunting melodic songs.
Fin whales: The second largest whale in the world and internationally recognized as endangered.
Sperm whales: The largest of the toothed whales.

The world’s whales are increasingly threatened by global warming, pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, and being struck by ships. Increased whaling would only make things worse for these magnificent creatures -- some of which haven’t fully recovered from decades of unchecked killing.

Our whales need your help now! Write to the White House -- tell the U.S. government to take a firm stand against Japan’s whaling today!

Remember, personalized comments are the most effective way of getting your message heard. Tell officials why it is important to you that they do everything they can to save our whales.
After being hunted to the brink of extinction, the planet’s whales deserve a chance at full recovery. With your help, we can ensure protection for years to come.

The struggle for workers’ rights shouldn’t have to be so slow, so hard, or so unfair...
The Employee Free Choice Act—a bill in Congress quickly gaining momentum—will help fix the broken process through which workers form unions. This important legislation would make sure workers have a fair chance to exercise their democratic right to choose a union.

Tell your Lawmakers to Support the Employee Free Choice Act:http://go.care2.com/e/HHn/dR/Erx6

Employers routinely harass, coerce, intimidate, and even fire workers when they try to exercise their legal rights to form unions. As the law currently stands, union elections are prone to delay and often favor employers in their fights against workers' unions.

This legislation would fix the process by imposing stiffer penalties against employers that violate labor law, and would set up a process for newly-organized workers to negotiate a first contract in a timely manner. Under the Employee Free Choice Act, workers could opt to follow the "voluntary recognition" method of organizing, where workers choose union representation through a process in which a majority signs cards indicating their support.

Support worker rights - Urge your lawmakers to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Dear Friend,When disaster struck on the Gulf Coast this fall, you looked to The Humane Society of the United States to help rescue thousands of stranded pets. I'm proud that you turned to us and thankful that you gave so generously to help the animal victims of the hurricanes. Our pet protection programs and work during natural disasters are highly visible, but today I'd like to personally tell you about some of the other HSUS campaigns that you may not be aware of -- and how you can continue to help with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Help pets suffering in puppy mills.

You've likely heard of puppy mills -- mass-breeding operations that treat breeding dogs like "factories," churning out countless puppies for sale. While the federal Animal Welfare Act mandates minimum standards of care for these operations, it has a major loophole: The law does not cover puppy mills that sell directly to the public instead of through pet stores, leaving the animals exempt from minimum standards of care.

To help us change this, please send a quick e-mail using our simple form to urge your U.S. Senators and Representative to cosponsor the Pet Animal Welfare Statute, or PAWS. This legislation would require that breeders be licensed and inspected if they sell seven or more litters each year directly to the public.

Your action today can ensure that puppy mills don't put profits before animal welfare. Click here to send your message now.

Put a stop to dogfighting and cockfighting.

It's cruel and inhumane to pit dogs or birds against one another in a bloody fight to the death. As hard as it may be to believe, these staged fights happen with alarming frequency in our country. Current federal law provides only misdemeanor penalties for trafficking in fighting animals, penalties too weak to provide a meaningful deterrent to this horrendous crime. But the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill that would establish felony penalties to help put an end to these blood sports.

Click here to contact your Representative and urge him or her to cosponsor the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act today.
The U.S. Senate has already passed this bill.

Pledge to be "Fur Free."

Many of us would never consider wearing real fur clothing, but even compassionate consumers may be duped into buying real fur products. Because of labeling loopholes, common retail items can be made with pieces of real fur and be given a misleading label - or no label at all. You might know caring people who have purchased a fur-trimmed jacket or similar item, not realizing it featured real fur from an animal who was drowned, electrocuted, clubbed, or even worse.

You can help put an end to this deception by signing our simple pledge to be "Fur Free" this winter. Click here to sign the pledge today.

When you take action to help animals by participating online with us, you make a huge difference. In fact, our online supporters were key participants in two recent major victories for animals:

First, our campaign to end horse slaughter in America secured a major legislative victory in the U.S. Congress -- one that will protect nearly 90,000 American horses from being slaughtered and sent to Europe and Asia for human consumption. And just this week, the grocery store chain Trader Joe's, after a concerted four-month HSUS campaign, has pledged that its own brand of eggs will be entirely cage free. The result?

An estimated 380,000 laying hens -- who provide the more than 100 million Trader Joe's brand eggs sold each year -- will be spared lives of suffering in battery cages that confine the animals and don't even allow them to extend their wings.

Your contribution to our hurricane relief efforts meant that we could save thousands of animals, and your continued commitment will help us protect millions more. I hope you'll continue to be an advocate for kindness and mercy towards animals and a friend to The Humane Society of the United States

Did you know that 7,000 refugee children arrive in the United States every year without parents or family to help them? These are kids who have been orphaned or separated from family, and may be fleeing armed conflict, human rights abuses or social and political turmoil in their countries.

Many of these kids were forced into child soldiering, prostitution, servitude, or other unspeakable horrors. But when they arrive here, looking for a new life, they are often apprehended at the border and placed in an immigration court system designed for adults without being given an attorney or guardian to help them.

There's new legislation in Congress to help these children.

The Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2005 will make sure these children don't fall through the cracks when they reach the United States. This bill will provided the needed structure and guidance so these kids will receive pro bono legal counsel; child welfare professionals to act as guardians; and family reunification where possible. It's so hard to imagine the lives these children are fleeing.

War, famine, unspeakable human rights abuses – your signature can help these kids have a safer future: http://go.care2.com/e/HTG/D5/Erx6

In October, Florida became a very dangerous place, and if the National Rifle Association (NRA) gets its way, Massachusetts will be next. On October 1, the Shoot First Law went into effect in Florida, giving the people of Florida permission to use deadly force as a FIRST resort, even in a public place.

The law grants sweeping criminal and civil immunity to anyone who pulls the trigger when they feel "threatened" -- and specifically denies legal recourse to innocent bystanders killed or wounded in the crossfire, even if the shooter acted negligently. Click here to tell Governor Romney that "Shoot First" is a horrible policy idea for Massachusetts:

http://go.care2.com/65613

But the Shoot First doctrine isn't just staying in Florida -- the NRA has made no bones about the fact that it plans to export Shoot First legislation to all 50 states in 2006. This is about to become a national disgrace, and will take us back to the days of the Wild West -- unless you get involved.

Our partners at Working Assets have put together an easy way for you to tell your Governor to "Keep Shoot First out of our state" -- and we encourage you to click the link below to get this important message to Governor Romney.

Click here to take action with the Brady Campaign and keep "Shoot First" from becoming law in Massachusetts: http://go.care2.com/65613 Thanks in advance for taking a proactive stand to stop the spread of this dangerous legislation. Together, we can make sure this law doesn't come to Massachusetts next

Unfortunately, the Congress passed up a tremendous opportunity to pass a provision to limit the global trade in cockfighting birds—a well-established threat to transmit bird flu and a pathway to spread the deadly disease across the globe—and instead used the Defense spending bill to attach a controversial provision to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Animal protection advocates were more than hopeful that the House would attach the relatively uncontroversial "Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act" (S. 382 and H.R. 817) to the DoD spending bill given that there were a raft of provisions attached to combat avian influenza and to prepare for the possibility of a pandemic. But not only was the anti-cockfighting bill not included, the committee reviewing the DoD appropriations bill went out of its way to explicitly state in a press release that it never intended to include any language related to anti-animal fighting efforts.

Tell Congress to reject the DoD bill.

To add insult to injury, the committee then tacked on a controversial rider that opens the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration and drilling. The Arctic Refuge is home to hundreds of species of wildlife including polar bears, musk oxen, wolves, grizzly bears, and other wildlife species.

The HSUS has long opposed drilling in the Arctic, and a measure that stirs such controversy and that has divided the country and the Congress should not be handled in this manner. Congress should be doing all it can to combat bird flu, not slipping in a controversial energy production plan in a wildlife refuge.

Do we have to wait for an outbreak of avian flu to occur in this country before we put an end to the barbaric cockfighting industry?

Please act now!

Not sure what to say? Click here for a sample phone call and to send an email to your Senators.


Tell your Senators to reject the final DoD appropriations bill because it includes Arctic drilling but does not include common-sense measures to help stop the spread of bird flu by cracking down on cruel cockfights.

Urge your friends to take action, too.

Thank you for your action in these last critical hours. I know many of you are busy with holiday preparations, and I appreciate you taking time out for this important matter.

Give the Scale of Child Abuse National Attention

More than one million children suffer abuse and neglect each year in this country. There is no single cause for this problem, and there is no simple solution.

Help stop this violence among the most innocent victims by urging a comprehensive report on child abuse to be issued by the Surgeon General >>

In the time it takes you to read this, another child has been abused.

It is sad, but in 2003, an estimated 906,000 children were confirmed to victims of physical abuse or neglect situations. A national spotlight needs to be focused on this epidemic that continues to occur under the scope of national attention.

Call for the U.S. Surgeon General to prepare a comprehensive report on child abuse and neglect occurring in this country.

In the past, reports by the U.S. Surgeon General - such as the 1990 report on children and smoking, or the 1999 report on the prevention of suicide - have brought important health issues much-needed national attention, and resulted in both federal and private initiatives that made a significant impact.

A comprehensive report on child abuse will help us unite public health and child welfare resources necessary to create a safe, caring and healthy future for our children.
Help stop this violence among the most innocent victims - urge President Bush to direct
Surgeon General Carmona to prepare a comprehensive report on child abuse and neglect in this
country:

http://go.care2.com/e/igf/fa/Erx6

Workers’ rights and legal protections are at great risk! This is the time to let your Senators know that Judge Alito is NOT the kind of Justice workers, retirees, or their family members need or want making decisions on the highest court in the nation. Among Judge Alito's many anti-worker decisions, he:

overturned various National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings to the detriment of workers’ union organizing efforts;

voted to excuse businesses from giving notices to workers that they are closing down, and to gut protections for workers under the WARN Act;

voted against Family and Medical Leave Act coverage for state employees;
ruled against collective bargaining agreement provisions that make it easier for union stewards to help coworkers with their grievances;
set aside an arbitration award reinstating a fired worker.

Judge Alito’s judicial decisions show that he consistently votes against the interests of workers—and in favor of corporate and business interests. Judge Alito will NOT vote to uphold your rights.

Click here to tell your Senators to vote AGAINST sending Judge Alito to the Supreme Court!

What’s at stake? The nine-member Supreme Court interprets the Constitution and laws—and plays a powerful role in determining workers’ rights and legal protections. The current narrow Court majority has already harmed workers’ rights in a number of ways—but the situation would be much worse if Justice Alito was added. Such a majority would seriously weaken the right of employees to bargain collectively and be treated fairly. Such a majority would also make it easier for employers to refuse to bargain with elected union representatives and to suspend or fire workers who try to organize other employees.

Write your Senators today! Tell them to oppose Alito’s nomination!

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/alito_oppose

Thanks for all that you do,
Liz CattaneoAmerican Rights at Workwww.americanrightsatwork.org

Did you know that Americans spent $250 billion on our oil addiction last year? Maybe the word addiction is a bit strong, but I really don't think so - we're just four percent of the world's population, yet we consume 25% of the world's oil.

Many of us are strongly committed to using less energy, using cleaner energy, biking and walking when possible, and driving greener cars. But we need some help from the major automakers, and we're not getting enough of it.

So please take a moment to tell automakers why you want green cars now!

Here's an amazing - and disturbing - fact: if we simply used existing technology to ensure all cars got no less that 40 miles per gallon, we would save four times the amount of oil that could be produced by drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

We have the technology - we just need automakers to use it. I read a news report recently that described how scientists are spotting polar bears drowning in the Arctic as more and more ice melts.

Polar bears are extremely well adapted to their environment; the fact that they are starting to drown in significant numbers signals a serious problem, and needs to be a wake-up call for our country.

We need to change our ways, and fast. Think about the people, places, plants and animals that would be better off if automakers do their part to help us break our oil dependence and transition to a more sustainable future.

Then sign this petition to automakers and let them know how you feel.

We'll deliver your comments to Detroit and Tokyo. We want Bill Ford, Rick Wagoner, and the other CEOs to truly grasp what's at risk... and to respond.

The attacks of September 11th have been used to justify many terrible things - illegal spying, wrongful imprisonment, violating treaties, and war. But we cannot allow the victims of these attacks to be remembered for these atrocities.

Help build a memory of peace by petitioning the Postal Service to issue a September 11th memorial stamp.

The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation (WTCMF) was created with the goal of turning the aftermath of September 11th into a lesson for peace. Next year marks the 5th anniversary of these attacks, and the WTCMF is working to make sure our country properly honors the thousands of innocent men, women, and children who perished in these horrific attacks with a postage stamp.

The WTCMF is also working on building a Memorial and Museum to honor the innocent lives lost at ground zero. The Memorial will consist of two voids that reside in the original footprints of the Twin Towers. Each void will hold a pool of water filled by waterfalls on all sides and visitors will descend 30 feet to galleries underneath the waterfalls inscribed with the names of those who died.

This is a message to remind us all that peace cannot be found through violence.
Put your stamp on history - Urge the United States Postal Service to issue a stamp honoring the memory of those who perished on September 11th, 2001 at

http://go.care2.com/e/iQE/FR/Erx

STAND UP FOR HEALTH CARE

They are at it again. What the Bush Administration tried and failed to do with Social Security, they now intend to do with health care. They want to shift the health care system into private health care savings accounts.

We're not going to let them. Once again, we must stop their ill-advised, unfair plan in its tracks.
What would private health care savings accounts (HSA's) mean for Americans? It would mean that the well to do, those who are already the best able to pay for health care, would perhaps be fine. But those who are already struggling to pay for health care -- everybody else -- would be left out in the cold again.

Just as they did with their Medicare Drug bill, the Bush Administration is putting the special interests first and wishing everybody else the best of luck.

Now, I've had some experience with health care. I know that making health care more accessible for every American family will not be easy. But I also know that we will never get there if we don't address the facts and determine we are going to help all Americans. That's why I am hosting a roundtable on health care this week in Rochester, New York -- the first in a series.

Many of you will not be able to attend; that's why I need to hear from you about your stories about health care -- or lack thereof. Many of your stories will be posted on HillaryClinton.com, and others will be shared at our roundtable discussion going forward.

Please use this link to share your story:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/healthcarestories/

We have already seen the ineptitude of the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress when it comes to health care. Their new Prescription Drug Plan, touted as a benefit for America's seniors, has literally left tens of thousands of seniors denied their medications,
overcharged, or turned away from pharmacies.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry is the true beneficiary. The Bush plan prevents Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices for seniors. It bars Americans from re-importing safe, affordable prescription drugs from Canada. It has the wrong priorities.

I didn't vote for the Bush Medicare plan, but I am determined to fix it. And I'm determined to do the same with access to affordable health care as well.

There are now over 45 million uninsured Americans. There are over 13 million uninsured children. In New York alone, 3 million people do not have health insurance. Premiums are rising at over twice the rate of inflation and the number of employers offering coverage is dropping.

The Republican majority's proposed cuts in Medicaid would raise co-pays and premiums for over 7 million Americans, including 3.5 million children.
This is a national crisis and a flat-out moral failing. We need to make sure all Americans and their representatives know the truth about how our present health care policies are impacting you and your family.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/healthcarestories/

It's time to speak up about health care. Please help me tell the true story –- your story –- about health care and our need to chart a better course.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/healthcarestories/

Thanks for your friendship and for all you do.

Sincerely,
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Republicans are nothing if not consistent in putting their special-interest friends first.
Today, the Washington Post revealed a back-room deal by Republicans to preserve a loophole in Medicare payment policies that allows insurance companies to receive excess payments from Medicare – to the tune of $22 billion.

You read that correctly.

The Senate tried to act to save Medicare $26 billion in payments to insurance companies. But, in the Republican-controlled conference committee – where both Democrats and the public were shut out – lobbyists for the insurance companies successfully eliminated all but $4 billion of the savings.

Even a prominent Republican health care lobbyist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, “I have worked many [budget] bills, and this was the most closed I've ever seen.”
Once again, Republicans and their campaign contributors win, and the American people lose.
I am not going to stand for it.

Just because Republicans have the audacity to hand over $22 billion in Medicare payments to their lobbyist friends while cutting Medicaid for children and seniors – that doesn't mean we have to take it.

Rep. John Dingell of Michigan and I will introduce legislation to close, once-and-for-all, the loophole allowing insurance companies to bilk Medicare. We will use the savings to restore funding to children's health care and Medicaid slashed by Republicans.

I know how fundamental this issue is to New Yorkers and to Americans everywhere. In fact, before the Washington Post story broke, I had hoped to write you with one simple update today: the first day that I asked you to your share your health care stories with me, over 1,000 of you responded.

That's no fluke. It shows how many Americans are suffering as they have to make terrible choices. Bills they can't pay, insurance they can't afford, pain they can't get treated. It's simply wrong, and I'm going to make sure that all Americans and their representatives know just how wrong it is.

If you haven't shared your health care story with me yet – about how it is impacting you and your family – please do so today. Many of your stories will be posted on HillaryClinton.com, and others will be shared at roundtable discussions going forward.

Please use this link to send your story:

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/healthcarestories/

We are united in our determination to stop George Bush from doing with health care what he tried to do with Social Security. We will find real solutions for Americans – not more Republican corporate giveaways under the guise of helping people.

This is a national crisis and a moral failing. And, together, we will turn it around. Please stay tuned for our next steps as we chart a better course to provide health care for all Americans. In the meantime, please send me your health care story by using this link.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/healthcarestories/

Thanks for your friendship and for all you do.
Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

George Bush may have had an election year conversion about the importance of health care, but as I listened to his State of the Union Speech tonight, it's clear he still wants to take us in the wrong direction.
I can tell you from the people I have spoken to, and the thousands of stories you have sent me concerning your health care struggles, that few Americans, if any, would find relief from the Bush assortment of flimsy band-aids and "private account" gimmicks.
George Bush and his Republican allies want us to think they share our concerns about making health care more accessible. But the reality is, they offer nothing but more of the same - help for those who need it the least, and everyone else is left out in the cold.
As Rose from Johnstown, NY wrote me: "If this administration has botched up the Medicare RX plan, making it so confusing, what will they do to a health care plan? I shudder to think of it. Whatever they attempt to do becomes a disaster except for helping their wealthy friends."
It's time to have a real conversation about health care. What kind of country do we want to live in? I believe in an America where every single person has the best possible chance for a healthy future.
If you agree, join me in calling for an open debate about one of the most important issues we face as a nation.
http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions
For the sake of Democrats, Republicans, and all Americans, we can and we must do better at helping people get the health care they need.
Jill, in Minneapolis, who suffers from Graves Disease, wrote me to say she can't find coverage for any of the medications prescribed by her doctors. "My health issues are not my fault," she writes. "I've done nothing to give myself a chronic disease. Why am I being punished for having it?"
We can't allow our fellow Americans to be punished any longer. The time for this discussion is right now. No more backroom deals with insurance companies. No more health care decisions behind closed doors that place the special interests over the interests of ordinary Americans.
We may not control the levers of power in Washington, but we can make a powerful statement by showing our strength in numbers. Please join me in calling for an open discussion on health care now.
http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions
We have already succeeded in getting health care back on the front pages. That's why the Bush Administration was forced to throw together a plan which essentially tries to do with health care what they failed to do with Social Security.
The President can talk all he wants about caring for America's seniors, but we know the true beneficiaries of his policies are the insurance companies and the well to do.
Health care decisions must be made for the benefit of all Americans.
When drug and insurance companies spend $140 million lobbying Republicans on the Medicare drug benefit, and the result is that Medicare is barred from negotiating lower drug prices for seniors; safe, affordable drugs from Canada are blocked; and there is a back-door $22 billion giveaway to insurance companies. It's no wonder the American people have lost confidence in the ability of this Congress' to make common-sense decisions for the public good.
I've had my own experience in working for health care reform, and I know it won't be easy. But I also know we can never address this issue until we are willing to have an honest conversation - not behind closed doors - but through an open discussion.
http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions
Together, we can jumpstart this conversation and start finding solutions. I'm ready to speak out for health care, and I hope you will join me.
Thanks for your friendship and for all you do.
Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton
P.S. This is not a partisan issue - the need for health care impacts all Americans. If you agree, please sign on at http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions - and ask your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same.

George Bush may have had an election year conversion about the importance of health care, but as I listened to his State of the Union Speech tonight, it's clear he still wants to take us in the wrong direction.

I can tell you from the people I have spoken to, and the thousands of stories you have sent me concerning your health care struggles, that few Americans, if any, would find relief from the Bush assortment of flimsy band-aids and "private account" gimmicks.

George Bush and his Republican allies want us to think they share our concerns about making health care more accessible. But the reality is, they offer nothing but more of the same - help for those who need it the least, and everyone else is left out in the cold.

As Rose from Johnstown, NY wrote me: "If this administration has botched up the Medicare RX plan, making it so confusing, what will they do to a health care plan? I shudder to think of it. Whatever they attempt to do becomes a disaster except for helping their wealthy friends."

It's time to have a real conversation about health care. What kind of country do we want to live in? I believe in an America where every single person has the best possible chance for a healthy future.

If you agree, join me in calling for an open debate about one of the most important issues we face as a nation.

http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions

For the sake of Democrats, Republicans, and all Americans, we can and we must do better at helping people get the health care they need.

Jill, in Minneapolis, who suffers from Graves Disease, wrote me to say she can't find coverage for any of the medications prescribed by her doctors. "My health issues are not my fault," she writes. "I've done nothing to give myself a chronic disease. Why am I being punished for having it?"

We can't allow our fellow Americans to be punished any longer. The time for this discussion is right now. No more backroom deals with insurance companies. No more health care decisions behind closed doors that place the special interests over the interests of ordinary Americans.

We may not control the levers of power in Washington, but we can make a powerful statement by showing our strength in numbers. Please join me in calling for an open discussion on health care now.

http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions

We have already succeeded in getting health care back on the front pages. That's why the Bush Administration was forced to throw together a plan which essentially tries to do with health care what they failed to do with Social Security.

The President can talk all he wants about caring for America's seniors, but we know the true beneficiaries of his policies are the insurance companies and the well to do.
Health care decisions must be made for the benefit of all Americans.

When drug and insurance companies spend $140 million lobbying Republicans on the Medicare drug benefit, and the result is that Medicare is barred from negotiating lower drug prices for seniors; safe, affordable drugs from Canada are blocked; and there is a back-door $22 billion giveaway to insurance companies. It's no wonder the American people have lost confidence in the ability of this Congress' to make common-sense decisions for the public good.

I've had my own experience in working for health care reform, and I know it won't be easy. But I also know we can never address this issue until we are willing to have an honest conversation - not behind closed doors - but through an open discussion.

http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions

Together, we can jumpstart this conversation and start finding solutions. I'm ready to speak out for health care, and I hope you will join me.

Thanks for your friendship and for all you do.
Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

P.S. This is not a partisan issue - the need for health care impacts all Americans. If you agree, please sign on at http://www.HillaryClinton.com/discusssolutions - and ask your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same.

AMERICANS RIGHT TO WORK

Did you happen to catch last night's episode of "The Office"? Anyone who's a fan of the hit TV show

UNIONBUSTING AT "THE OFFICE"?

Stand Up for Workers' Rights
knows the Dunder-Mifflin employees need a union—or something—to deal with their bumbling boss Michael.

So the warehouse workers finally expressed the need for a union to improve their wages and benefits. But when the corporate boss Jan found out about it, she illegally threatened the employees that the Dunder-Mifflin plant would close and that they would lose their jobs if they formed a union.

Every week "The Office" offers up plenty of hilariously outrageous situations that you'd never imagine happening at your own office. But this time the show served up the hard truth about how far employers will go to stop their employees from forming a union.
It's unfair for workers to be threatened by their employers for expressing their desire to form a union.

And here's how you can help! Click here to tell Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Click here to tell Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Workers deserve a free choice and a fair chance to form a union if they want to—without risking their livelihood to do so. If Congress passes the Employee Free Choice Act, tougher penalties will be in place to protect workers who want to form a union against discrimination and intimidation.

It would give workers a fair, simple, direct method for organizing unions. It would also stop employers from dragging out contract negotiations for years and years. Tell your members of Congress to support this important bill:

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/efca_2005/wnkniix417w3k8i?

What happened to workers on "The Office" is wrong - but it happens all the time. Over 49% of employers threaten to close a worksite when workers try to form a union. Yet most employers are never held accountable! For the warehouse workers employed by Dunder-Mifflin on "The Office," for 1.2 million Wal-Mart employees, for workers in your community, and for men and women across the country, please act now!

Thank you again for your dedication to protecting workers' rights!
Liz Cattaneo,American Rights at Workwww.americanrightsatwork.org

The Real Cost of Gold: Not Very PrettyTell gold mining companies to stop dumping toxic mining waste directly into public rivers and other fragile habitat.

Villagers living along the Auga River have discovered a strange phenomenon; their feet turned
bright yellow after a mining company began to dump mine waste directly into their riverway. Can you imagine what people would do in the United States if their feet turned bright yellow after they took a shower?

While you ponder that thought, help me pressure U.S. companies to stop supporting abuses like this in developing countries. Sign this petition to stop dirty gold mining practices:

http://go.care2.com/e/Ip9/h1/Erx6

Pressure for gold destroys fragile environments worldwide; despite local objections, a mining company based in Nevada wants to mine a pristine Patagonian region using an operation that requires 2.7 tons of cyanide daily.
O
ddly, you and I are probably offer the local villagers, and other villagers worldwide, the best chance of protecting their land from powerful gold mining operations.

You can help by signing this petition: http://go.care2.com/e/Ip9/h1/Erx6 Your signature matters because with Valentine's Day on the horizon, some prominent jewelry firms such as Tiffany & Co. have responded to requests to clean up dirty mining from concerned people like you, but others jewelry companies are lagging behind.

Jewelers may not operate heavy equipment at mine sites, but more than 80 percent of gold mined each year is used to make jewelry, which is why our voice as consumers will be heard. Jewelry firms are uniquely positioned to help encourage, or prevent, real change in gold mining practices.

We can show jewelers that thousands of people want gold produced in ways that do not harm communities, workers, and the environment. There are some practices that are just too dirty to accept under any circumstances -- such as dumping mine waste directly into rivers or the ocean.

Sign here to urge mining companies to clean up their act: http://go.care2.com/e/Ip9/h1/Erx6 Thanks for your help today, Hilary S.Care2 and ThePetitionSite.com P.S. The production of just one gold ring produces 20 tons of mine waste. Is it worth it? You can help create change by signing this petition today.

STOP THE DIRTY DOZEN

Coral reefs. Migrating song birds. America's beautiful coastlines. Polar icecaps. Majestic glaciers. What do these have in common? They're all disappearing.

And these? Gas prices. Global warming pollution. The destructive power of hurricanes. Big Oil's profit margins. You guessed it – they're all growing.
Who are the Dirty Dozen?


U.S. Senate
2005 LCV Score
Rick Santorum (PA)
10%
Conrad Burns (MT)
5%
Jim Talent (MO)
15%

U.S. House of Representatives
Richard Pombo (CA)
6%
Katherine Harris (FL)
17%
Robert Ney (OH)
11%
Heather Wilson (NM)
22%
Henry Cuellar (TX)
33%


Read the full Dirty Dozen Report

*Additional Dirty Dozen politicians will be announced soon.

In Congress, there are a handful of vulnerable anti-environment politicians – the "Dirty Dozen." With the 2006 Dirty Dozen campaign, the League of Conservation Voters will target these anti-environmental politicians with an aggressive, multilayered and independent campaign. We are going to beat the Dirty Dozen this November, and we'll need your help.

Take our quick online survey. Let us know how you can help LCV Beat the Dirty Dozen on Election Day.

Just think – when you help us defeat Richard Pombo, you'll be removing the man who is leading the charge to gut the Endangered Species Act. Senator Rick Santorum is certainly no better. He has racked up a frightening string of anti-environmental votes. By defeating Senator Conrad Burns, you'll be helping us remove a man who scored just 5% on environmental issues in 2005.

This is a man who votes against the environment almost every time.

LCV has defeated 51% of all Dirty Dozen candidates since 1996 – at a time when incumbents were winning 95% of the time. We have done it in the past, and we know that you play a huge role in helping us win an environmentally-responsible Congress. That's why we need to hear from you.

We've done our research on the Dirty Dozen – now it's time to learn more about you! Which environmental issues do you feel are the most important? How can you help LCV educate other voters about the Dirty Dozen’s environmental voting records? Can you help turn out voters in November?

Take our quick online survey.

Your feedback will help our campaign staff craft our strategy!
Together, we will take immediate and effective action to protect our air, land, water, and wildlife. Your participation will help us map out the best route to victory in 2006. The Dirty Dozen must be – and can be – stopped.

BUSH UNDERFUNDING NATIONAL PARKS

The Bush Administration has sent Congress a national parks budget that is the worst in recent memory – proposing a $100 million cut in overall funding.

Our national parks already operate on only two-thirds of the funds they need and now it will be less if Congress approves this budget.

Inadequate funding for our parks means that historic buildings are crumbling, park roads are deteriorating, visitors centers – and bathrooms! – may be closed, and often, there’s not a ranger in sight to help visitors understand and appreciate what they’re seeing.

But you can help save our national parks from decades of neglect.

Make a donation today to NPCA so we can fight for the funding America’s national parks need.

To continue our campaign, our goal is to raise $50,000 by June 30.

It is especially important that you act today, because right now Congress is engaged in the appropriations process, deciding where your tax dollars will be spent. The decisions they make in the weeks ahead will have a huge impact on whether the National Park Service will be able to do the job we’ve entrusted to them – or if our parks will sink further into disrepair and ruin.

Please help us continue to fight for our national parks by sending your special contribution today. Your donation will help us meet our goal of raising $50,000 by June 30.

Click here to donate.

Americans overwhelmingly support increased funding for our national parks. But this budget tells us that the administration isn’t listening to America. We at NPCA are listening and with your help, we’ll make sure that Congress listens, too.

Your support is critical to our success.

Thank you,Thomas C. KiernanPresident National Parks Conservation Association

George Bush and his Republican allies want us to think they share our concerns for working families who try every day to meet their responsibilities.

But, the reality is that day after day, people are losing out to the callous policies and incompetent leadership of this administration.

Ask families struggling every day with the rising costs of health care or college students who have been working to pay for their education and find the costs going out of reach.

Listen to senior citizens trying to deal with the Bush Medicare drug bill and finding themselves trapped by complicated rules and unanswered questions. And Katrina survivors are once again left stranded by the Bush administration.

Now the new Bush budget has come along, giving us the latest evidence that this administration is walking away from our responsibilities to our families, to respect our elders, and provide a better life for our children.

From taking the $255 Social Security death benefit away from people who have just lost a loved one and cutting off the monthly Social Security survivor benefits of 16 and 17-year olds if they're no longer in school to cutting out funding for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer

Early Deduction program for low-income women which had provided more than 6 million tests and diagnosed 23,000 cases since 1991, Americans are being left behind.

At the same time, the administration just handed big energy companies a $65 million giveaway - and they still refuse to negotiate Medicare drug prices with the big drug companies, which could save billions!

Don't let them get away with it. Join me today in actively and vocally rejecting the Bush Fiscal Year 2007 budget as a deeply flawed blueprint for America's future. Sign our "Veto the Bush Budget" petition today.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/budget

While we can't make George Bush respect our values, we can make him understand that we are standing up for them. There are hundreds of Republican officeholders who have to face the voters this November. We have to challenge each and every one of them to stand up to the reckless and wrong-headed policies of this administration - or face the voters' wrath for failing to do so.

Do they want to invest in a future that creates opportunity for all Americans? Or will they keep aiding and abetting the president's efforts to throw our values overboard and tilt the balance even more dramatically against middle class Americans, veterans, seniors, and children?

It's time to speak up. Sign our petition to veto the Bush budget today.

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/budget

These cuts reflect George Bush's priorities, but not the values of the American people. In the weeks ahead, Hillary will do everything in her power to drive that difference home. I urge you to join me in this critical undertaking. Together, we'll win the most critical policy and electoral contests of 2006.

Often in his speeches, President Bush stresses the dangers of terrorist attacks – using the “War on Terror” as a justification for the biggest increase in military expenditures since the Cold War.

But to sustain the exorbitant $28 billion dollar increase he has proposed this year, Bush is placing an undue burden on Americans.

Some of his most notable cuts affect our nation’s children by slashing funding for public education.

Take action!
Think about this:

For the cost of one F-22 fighter jet, we could build 31 new elementary schools.
Instead of buying two aircraft carriers, we could hire 65,000 new teachers.

For the amount spent on ballistic missile defense, nearly 6 million children could be receiving health care.

The message it clear: by crippling public education and social services to funnel more money into the Pentagon, Bush's budget will not secure the future of our nation.

Join Women’s Action for New Directions and urge Congress and the President to retool the budget, to reflect our values and priorities.

Tell your lawmakers that you don’t want your tax dollars to fund $28 billion dollars worth of new weaponry when the lives and futures of America’s families are the compromise

Take a Picture or Vote Now – Show Congress our Priorities on Health Care!

A picture is worth 1,000 words, and yours could help show Congress what America's real priorities are.

As a Health Care Voter we know that health care is your top priority; show Congress what is not working about our health care system and help encourage them to do something to fix the health care crisis.

This is the perfect time to visit

http://www.showcongress.org/?origin=SEIUHC

where you can enter one of your own photos to show Congress what you think or vote for photos that are already there. Send your representatives a powerful message about the health care priorities of your community.

Your photo could be included on the Calendar of America's Priorities, which will be delivered to every member of Congress, and you could win you a trip to Washington, DC, or a new digital camera!

If you've submitted an image or voted already, don't forget: you can vote for up to three images every week.

Click http://www.showcongress.org/?origin=SEIUHC to see what's new.

Show Congress what works. Show Congress what could work better. Show your representatives what they aren't seeing.

Sincerely,
Americans for Health Care

JOIN THE ANTI TOBACCO
VIRTUAL ONLINE PROTEST
STOP BIG TOBACCO

Thanks to everyone who's joined - we've beat our goal and over 6,700 people have pledged to call the White House on Monday. We've talked about setting a new goal. What should it be? 8,000? 10,000? How many calls do you think we can generate to the White House on Monday? Let's see how high we can get that number to go!

If you haven't signed up - we'd still love to have you on board!

Click here to join the Virtual Protest.

Help us flood the White House with thousands of calls urging President Bush to protect kids worldwide from tobacco use. As home to Philip Morris, the world's largest multinational tobacco company, the United States has a special obligation to address the global epidemic of tobacco use.

Will you help us stand up against Big Tobacco?

Click here to join the Virtual Protest!

On Monday, we'll post the White House phone number and talking points for you to use on www.TobaccoTreatyProtest.org.

February 27th is Virtual Protest day because it is the first anniversary of the groundbreaking tobacco treaty becoming international law. This treaty, called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will protect kids around the world from the dangers of tobacco.
Over 120 countries have already ratified the FCTC and started reducing the global toll of tobacco - but the United States is not one of them. In fact, President Bush has not even given the Senate the opportunity to ratify the treaty.

Our country is standing on the sidelines as the rest of the world makes critical decisions on fighting tobacco around the globe.

We can't let this continue! Nearly 5 million people die as a result of tobacco use every year. And if we don't do something now, by 2020 tobacco use will kill 10 million people each year. The FCTC will drastically reduce the global toll of tobacco. We must tell the President that the U.S. cannot go another year without ratifying the treaty.

Let's stop the terrible toll of tobacco now!

Please click here to join the Virtual Protest today!

Call the White House on Monday and urge President Bush to send the FCTC to the Senate for ratification

The Bush Administration released its fiscal year 2007 budget which slashed Medicare by $36 billion over the next five years and $105 billion over the next ten years.

Tell the Congress to protect seniors from these harmful Medicare cuts at http://go.care2.com/e/jf./iQ/Erx6

The proposed cuts will slash spending for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and ambulance services. Other parts of the proposed budget call for increasing Medicare premiums for certain beneficiaries. Unfortunately for seniors, while the proposed budget slashes Medicare funding it protects rich special interests, leaving intact the $10 billion Medicare slush fund for HMOs.

Additionally, while planning cuts in Medicare the White House snuck $700 billion for privatization of Social Security in his budget. This is the same privatization plan Congress dumped the last time it was presented, in part because of our letters of outrage.

We must once again stop this reckless agenda the White House is putting forward, and must tell Congress to put our seniors ahead of big industry donors.

Sign the petition and tell Congress to Protect our Seniors from Billions In Harmful Medicare Cuts!

Every day, child refugees who have fled to the U.S. are sent back home without a fair trial. But now, the House is voting on a bill to give refugee children adequate representation in court.

Sign the petition now!

Everyday, child refugees come to our country - without parents or family - seeking safety in the U.S. But all too often, rather than protecting these children who have narrowly escaped turmoil in their native countries, our immigration system sends them back into danger. Take action!

Unable to fend for themselves, to afford an attorney, or even to understand what an immigration judge is saying to them, child refugees often end up in juvenile detention centers or are deported back to the very place they fled. Now, Congress is considering legislation to fix the system.

Called the Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2005 or H.R. 1172, this bill would help refugee children out of the juvenile punishment system by providing them access to an attorney who can hear their case and adequately represent them.

Click here to support this bill!

UNHCR's Goodwill Ambassador, actress Angelina Jolie, spoke of her support for this legislation, saying: "…without legal representation we are sending children to court to represent themselves in a language that most of them don't understand. And expecting them to recall accounts so frightening and humiliating, they wouldn't want to tell anyone, let alone a room full of strangers."

The companion bill to H.R. 1172 was passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate in December, but now H.R. 1172 needs to be passed in the House to be made into law.

Sign the petition to urge your state representative to support this bill now! Help defend the lives of child refugees who cannot defend themselves...

The culture of corruption is catching up with the Republican Party, and eight months from now,

Democrats have an opportunity to make gains up and down the ticket. According to CBS News poll released this week, George Bush's approval rating now hovers at 34% -- a new record low.

Now isn't the time to sit and take a breather - it's the time to take action. If you haven't visited in a while, Democrats.org is dedicated to helping Democrats up and down the ticket win in November, and it has the tools that help empower you to do the hard work that will make those victories possible.

Create a Personal Fundraising Page

Now you can take our party's future into your own hands. When you create a personal fundraising page, you can leverage your friends, family and contacts into a powerful network of support for Democratic values.

You can quickly and easily set up a page with your own thermometer to track your progress and an easy-to-use invitation system. Ask your friends to donate once or to make a larger commitment by making a recurring contribution through our Democracy Bonds program:

http://www.democrats.org/personalfundraising

Write a Letter to an Editor

We cannot rely on anyone else to get our message out for us. Our simple tool will put you in contact with editors of national, regional and local newspapers so you can make your voice heard. Get the talking points on various Democratic agenda items and write a letter to the editor today:

http://www.democrats.org/lte

Post on the Blog

Everyday, exciting conversations are happening about the future of the Democratic Party in the blog's vibrant community. The blog provides a transparent look into the day-to-day workings of the DNC and the rest of the Democratic Party, complete with photos, videos, and stories from people working for change across the country. Be the first to read about breaking news and discuss it with Democrats from all fifty states by posting a comment and making your voice heard in a national forum:

http://www.democrats.org/blog

Find or Host an Event

For as long as the Democratic Party has been around, Democrats have been coming together. The events tool is our first step in a bridge between online and offline activism. Using the tool, you can create and publicize an event you're hosting - no matter how big or small, no matter whether it's to organize or socialize. If you want to get plugged in with other Democrats in your area, the events tool is a perfect way to get involved:

http://www.democrats.org/events

Invite Your Friends

It's vitally important that our Democratic community expands beyond those who are already tuned in. Take a moment to reach out to your friends and neighbors and ask them to sign up so they can get the same action opportunities you do - just like this one:

http://www.democrats.org/invite

Register to Vote

Voting is more important than anything you can do online. If you haven't registered to vote, you should do it now. Our online tool walks you through the steps so you're ready to go on Election Day:

http://www.democrats.org/registertovote

Buy a Democracy Bond

If you haven't done it yet, it's time to take this important step. We need a steady stream of committed donors in order to build a party that fights in every state, city and precinct. Sign up to get your Democracy Bond and join a community of committed Americans today by visiting:

http://www.democrats.org/bonds

These tools -- and new tools as they come along -- are always available at http://www.democrats.org/action. Only working together can we take our country back, and we hope Democrats.org gives everyone a solid start.

Thank you,

Tom McMahonExecutive DirectorDemocratic National Committee

Costs of Health Care Continue to Skyrocket: In less than 10 years our spending on health care will be over $4 trillion if we don’t do something to fix the problem now.
Fair Share Health Care Update: It’s swept the nation, so what’s the status?

If It's Broke, Fix It: An overwhelming majority of Americans think our health care system is broken and we need real reform according to a poll from AHC and the Center for American Progress.

Who Are Health Care Voters?: Kathy and Mike lost their insurance when Mike lost his job of 30 years. They are both diabetic, take numerous prescription drugs, and are struggling to get by.
Costs of Health Care Continue to SkyrocketIn less than 10 years our spending on health care will be over $4 trillion if we don’t do something to fix the problem now.

A report released by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicates that, as we well know, health care costs are on the rise and show no sign of stopping. Other key facts from the report include:

Americans will spend $421 billion of their own money on health care, up from $248.8 billion in 2005.

Prescription drug spending is expected to reach $446 billion, up from $188 billion in 2004.
Medicare spending will reach $792 billion, up from $309 billion in 2004.
Medicaid spending will reach $320 billion, up from $293 billion in 2004.
Fair Share Health Care Update: It's Swept the Nation, So What's the Status?Here are some key developments about Fair Share Health Care that you’ll want to know.

Maryland: Wal-Mart’s CEO Lee Scott wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that Wal-Mart will stay in Maryland and continue their growth in-state, possibly including a large distribution center the company was threatening to pull.

Rhode Island: Fair Share Health Care is moving forward and looking strong. We’re expecting a vote on the legislation in mid-April and will keep you posted on its progress.

New Hampshire, Washington, and Colorado: Fair Share Health Care did not make it out of committee despite valiant efforts of organizers, lobbyists, Health Care Voters, and state legislators. But there is hope for next year. Washington’s Governor Christine Gregoire promised to pass a bill in the 2006-2007 session.

Currently, Fair Share Health Care has also been introduced and is in play in states including Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

If It's Broke, Fix ItAn overwhelming majority of Americans think our health care system is broken and we need real reform according to a poll from AHC and the Center for American Progress. Health care costs are seen as the primary threat facing our country’s economy, but more importantly, by a margin of nearly 2-to-1, they are identified as the number one threat facing the economic well-being of individual Americans.

An overwhelming 89 percent of Americans – including 80 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Conservatives – agree with the following statement: With costs rising out of control and the quality of health coverage declining, the health care system in our country is broken, and we need to make fundamental changes.

For more information on the poll, including a video clip of the poll’s key findings with pollster Karl Agne, Andy Stern and Anna Burger, among others, visit www.ImAHealthCareVoter.org.
Who Are Health Care Voters?Kathy and Mike lost their insurance when Mike lost his job of 30 years. They are both diabetic, take numerous prescription drugs and are struggling to get by.
Kathy and Mike couldn’t afford the $748 per month COBRA premium to keep health care coverage.

Kathy is disabled and needs ten prescriptions totaling more than $1200 per month. Mike’s prescriptions would cost over $400 a month. Without insurance they can’t afford their medications and as they run out aren’t taking them anymore. A $100 doctor’s office visit on top of the cost of prescriptions is more than they can afford.

In order to cut her prescription costs, Kathy joined a medical study to get help with her cholesterol-lowering prescription, but was unsure whether she was taking the actual medication or a placebo. Kathy and Mike know that something needs to be done to fix the health care crisis.

Because the longer we wait, the worse it’s going to get. Tell us why you’re a Health Care Voter.

Every day 1200 lives are lost to tobacco addiction. That's 1200 mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, husbands, wives and friends.

We are building a photo memorial to honor your loved ones whose lives have been cut short because of tobacco, and I need your help.

If you have lost a loved one to tobacco, please consider sending us a photo to use in the memorial. You can send your photo(s) one of two ways:
Email it to us at tobaccofreekids@tobaccofreekids.org. Please put "Photo Memorial" in the subject line.

Send it to us in the mail at:
Campaign for Tobacco-Free KidsAttn: Photo Memorial1400 Eye Street, NWSuite 1200Washington, DC 20005

Please include the person's first name and the state where they lived. If you'd like you can also include a short story about the person to accompany the photo - stories will make the memorial even more powerful. We regret that we can't return your photos to you, but I can assure you they will send a powerful message about the human toll of tobacco and help prevent future lives lost.

Please click here to send this message to family or friends whom you think would like to submit a photo.

We will debut the memorial at the Washington, DC Kick Butts Day event on April 5. This moving display will serve as the backdrop to Members of Congress, faith leaders, members of the public health community and youth advocates as they urge Congress to take action to keep kids from smoking and save America's children from a lifetime of addiction and disease. We will also use the memorial at events across the country to raise awareness about the deadly toll of tobacco.
Will you consider sending us a picture of someone you've lost to tobacco?

Thank you for all you do to keep America's kids safe from the dangers of tobacco.
Sincerely,

Carter HeadrickDirector, GrassrootsCampaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

I don't envy the potential 2008 Republican presidential candidates who will be in Memphis this weekend to attend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. In their speeches in Tennessee, they will be forced to proclaim their support for George Bush's incompetent leadership while his approval rating is at 34%.

I guarantee that one issue they won't be talking about is port security. That is unacceptable. Every one of these candidates for president in 2008 needs to stand up and answer one simple question: Why are Republicans handing over port security to a foreign government?

You can make them answer that very question -- by putting it on a roving billboard truck around Memphis while all of the 2008 Republican presidential candidates are in town. We need to raise $3,500 to make it happen. Take a moment and help fund the billboard truck now:

http://www.democrats.org/portbillboard

The fact is that each one of these future Republican presidential candidates will have to answer for their complicity with the out of touch policies of the Bush administration. Americans have had it with George Bush, who has paid lip service to the priorities of the American people, but refused to put the money where his mouth is.

Americans are angry that the Bush Administration has failed to devote enough resources to catching or killing Osama bin Laden.

Americans are outraged that a formerly powerful Republican Congressman was just sentenced to nearly a decade in jail for taking bribes from defense contractors in exchange for wasting our defense dollars.

Americans are tired of George Bush pushing for more tax giveaways to millionaires while the Republican Congress has failed to secure our ports -- which is why Democrats are fighting for funds for port security to keep American communities safe.

Now the Republican culture of corruption has President Bush auctioning off security at our nations ports to the highest bidder -- even if that means handing it over to a foreign government-owned corporation.

Republican presidential candidates need to start answering these questions right now.
Help put this billboard on the road at their big event this weekend and they won't be able to ignore these issues.

http://www.democrats.org/portbillboard

Thank you,

Tom McMahon

Corporate interests want to violate the principle of network neutrality in order to increase their own profit margins.

They must not be allowed to destroy the free and open culture of the web!

You think the Internet will always be the great freewheeling information superhighway you've grown to love? Well, think again. Media giants want to privatize our Internet.

Take Action!

Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be able to access any web content or applications they choose without restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service provider.

For example, if you are shopping for a new appliance online you should be able to shop on any and all websites, not just the ones with whom your provider has a preferred business relationship.

Now, corporate interests want to violate the principle of network neutrality in order to increase their own profit margins.

They must not be allowed to destroy the free and open culture of the web!

Telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress for the right to control where you go on the Internet, how fast you get there, and how much you pay for the service. In other words, your favorites websites and blogs might be left in the slow lane of the information superhighway.

Our first step is to send a strong message now to the big industry execs.

Tell them that the principle of net neutrality needs to be honored, and that Internet service providers (ISPs) should not play gatekeepers

Let's just run through some of the choices that the Washington Republicans made. Now they could have saved the surplus, invested in Social Security and Medicare, paid down the debt, covered the cost of Iraq and Afghanistan and paid the modest tax cuts for the middle class and working poor. Instead, they chose massive tax cuts aimed at those who needed them the least, tax loopholes and giveaways for oil companies to top-off their record breaking profits." Hillary Clinton, February 25, 2006

the Senate is voting on the budget - and once again, we are watching the Washington Republicans at work. It's not a pretty sight.

When we see the budget decisions that people make, we know what they truly value.
At a time when American families tell us one of their biggest concerns is losing access to health care, the Republicans latest budget calls for more cuts in health care. And this on top of the cuts Congressional Republicans pushed through a few weeks ago, higher costs for 7 million people in Medicaid, including 3.5 million children.

No wonder the number of Americans without health insurance is climbing, while health care costs are squeezing employers and employees alike.

As Hillary said, it's a question of choices. At a time when we should be taking serious effective steps toward developing alternative energy sources, to move us closer to energy independence, the Republican budget takes a step backward - attempting to use the budget process to open the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling and claiming billions of dollars in "phantom" revenues to mask the soaring federal deficit.

The Washington Republicans could have chosen to invest in education - increasing opportunities and success and making us stronger as a nation for the challenges of the 21st century. Instead, they presented a budget which under-funds No Child Left Behind, shuts the door to after-school programs for thousands of children, and makes college education even more expensive.

And what about keeping America safe? Democrats in Congress have tried to pay for doubling cargo inspections at ports by reducing the tax cut for people making more than $1 million a year. But the White House and Republican leadership thought it was more important to protect the full amount of the tax cut for millionaires than to increase protection at our ports - and as this budget shows, they still think so!

As we follow the votes in Washington this week on the budget, let's keep in mind the real life impact of these votes on our lives and our future. Hillary will be working with her colleagues in the Senate to speak up about what's wrong with the Republican budget and to amend it so it truly reflects our values. She will go on fighting for policies that help us meet our moral obligations: to make affordable health care a reality and get America moving in the right direction again. And we'll continue to keep you informed about her work.

For months now, we've been hearing more and more about our government's disturbing covert domestic spying program. You can take a critical action today through Working Assets and ActForChange.com, the online resource for social change, to support Senator Russ Feingold's resolution to censure President Bush for this violation of our civil liberties. Thanks for reading and acting today!

President Bush has publicly admitted to conducting a covert domestic spying program, in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). FISA includes a special process specifically set up to provide judicial oversight of electronic eavesdropping inside the United States -- but the President deliberately ignored this oversight requirement.

Click here to support a resolution of censure for the President's conduct: http://go.care2.com/e/jwi/Iz/Erx6

Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin has now introduced a resolution to censure the President for this outrageous violation of our civil liberties. Congress must take action against a president who has so plainly broken the law. This is not something that can be swept under the rug.

Click here to support Senator Feingold's resolution: http://go.care2.com/e/jwi/Iz/Erx6

Censuring the President is not a step to be taken lightly. But our constitutional system of checks and balances requires accountability if we are to defend and preserve our civil liberties.

Tell your Senators to support Senator Feingold's resolution to censure President Bush: http://go.care2.com/e/jwi/Iz/Erx6

Governor Romney is at it again, bashing some Massachusetts families in an attempt to align himself with far right opponents of marriage equality and further his own Presidential ambitions.

The Governor recently announced his plans to create a loophole in Massachusetts' anti-discrimination laws so that Catholic Charities can discriminate against same-sex couples.

In just a few weeks, opponents of marriage equality will attempt to strip rights away from same-sex couples and their families by advancing an anti-marriage ballot initiative. We need to send the Governor a message that discrimination in any form, be it in adoption or marriage, has no place in Massachusetts.

Catholic Charities’ decision to abandon their adoption program rather than place orphans with gay or lesbian parents only underscores the true motives of extremist opponents of equality. They will stop at nothing in their campaign against gay people and their families, even if it means denying needy children a loving home.

Since Governor Romney no longer easily accepts emails from constituents, we are asking you to draft a letter online which we'll hand deliver to his office.

We need you to voice your opinion.

We will take care of the rest. Tell the Governor that discrimination has no place in Massachusetts.

IMPEACH BUSH - www.impeachbush.org

ImpeachBush.org welcomes the many thousands of people who have joined the grassroots impeachment movement this week following the placement of the full page newspaper ad in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The response to the newspaper ads in the San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Times have been amazing. If it were up to the people, Articles of Impeachment would have already been filed.

The majority of Americans favor impeachment, by a 53% to 42% majority, if Bush lied about the reasons for going to war in Iraq, according to recent polls. And everyone knows that he did lie!

The majority also favors impeachment if the President broke federal wiretapping laws by unleashing a massive secret spying operation on the people of this country. And he did!
But for impeachment to become a reality, it is necessary to a light a fire under the still-too-timid politicians in Congress.

Senator Feingold moved to censure Bush this week for the illegal spying operation and Congressman John Conyers and 28 co-sponsors in the House have introduced House Resolution 635, which creates a special committee to investigate Bush’s impeachable offenses. These are good efforts but they require a groundswell of support over the next few months from the grassroots.

This is exactly how Nixon was forced from office in August 1974. The politicians from both parties knew full-well that Nixon was eligible for impeachment or could be forced to resign rather than face impeachment. But they were either too fearful and timid to take action, or they had been actually collaborating with Nixon. It was the outcry from below that changed the political calculus.

We are completely committed to stepping up the pressure. The politicians must feel the heat before they will act. The newspaper ads have been so effective that we want to keep placing them in newspapers around the country. Soon they will be complemented by radio spots. At the anti-war marches scheduled for this weekend, the third anniversary of the start of this illegal and catastrophic war in Iraq, ImpeachBush.org members will be holding ImpeachBush.org signs and banners and collecting thousands of signatures on the petitions.

The ImpeachBush.org movement is an exciting act of genuine grassroots democracy. All progressive and positive change in our country over the past two centuries has been the result of such grassroots movements.

If you can help place more newspaper ads and radio spots please make a donation today. By clicking here you can make a donation on-line or learn how you can send a check to help this movement continue to grow.

If you would like to send a letter to your elected officials in the House and Senate supporting House Resolution 635, which aims at investigating Bush’s impeachable offenses, you can do so by clicking here. This is an easy-to-use mechanism that ImpeachBush.org has set up that allows people to send a customized email letter to members of the House and Senate.

In addition to the full page newspaper ads and radio spots, we have to cover major expenses for the cost of printing large quantities of posters, signs, petitions, leaflets and banners for the large impeachment contingents in the anti-war demonstrations. There will be hundreds of actions around the country this weekend.

Please make a donation to help cover these costs.

This all takes money. We can continue to succeed because of the incredible commitment and generosity of individuals who believe that impeachment is the most important method for acting in defense of the Constitution. The impeachment movement is underway and it will surely grow in the critical months ahead. For the new ImpeachBush.org members on the West Coast, two of the largest March 18 antiwar demonstrations - including large impeachment contingents - will take place in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In San Francisco, the demonstration begins at 11am at the Civic Center, and in Los Angeles, the demonstration begins at 12 noon at Hollywood and Vine.

Spring is on the way. It is a perfect time to put up an ImpeachBush.org lawn sign, wear an impeachment sweatshirt or T-shirt, wear an ImpeachBush.org baseball cap, and adorn flat surfaces with the ImpeachBush.org bumper stickers. All of these items are available at the ImpeachBush.org Resource Center which you can connect to by clicking he

Just a few weeks ago, USA Today reported that efforts are underway in more than a dozen states to limit the ability of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and same-sex couples to adopt. Last month, the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" - an amendment that would write discrimination against same-sex couples into our U.S. Constitution - was scheduled for a June vote.

There is no doubt: The right-wing extremists are back to their dirty political tricks in a critical election year and the rights and lives of GLBT families are at stake. Click here to help the Human Rights Campaign stop them. Personally, I'm sickened by these efforts to mobilize the extreme conservative vote. It's bad enough that they attack GLBT relationships and protections for those relationships, but it is truly appalling when they start to go after children in need of loving homes.

The good news is that, so far, we've stopped the attacks on families from gaining political steam. Even before the extremists had publicly emerged, we conducted polling to gauge how people felt about denying children in need homes with GLBT people. We learned that the public has little appetite for such draconian measures against our families.

Certainly these polling results have discouraged extremist efforts to move the adoption issue forward in the massive way they planned. We will continue to do additional polling in key states. However, ultra-conservative extremists are moving forward with their devastating plans. And you and I must stop them.

Your support today will mean the difference between winning and losing more of these battles in the states and nationally. The Human Rights Campaign state legislative and foundation teams have been monitoring the renewed attacks on our relationships and on our families for months.

We've been working non-stop with our state and national coalition partners to fight back. This work is expensive, it's time consuming, and it must be done. With your support we can shut down continued attacks on our families and needy children in the states and beyond. With your help, we can fund the fight to protect families. And, with you by our side, we can win.

Click here to make your gift today.

I hope I can count on your support to help us protect GLBT families, and thank you for your continued commitment to the Human Rights Campaign