JOHN KERRY AND TERESA HEINZ KERRY'S BOOK - "THIS MOMENT ON EARTH"


Hi Jeff,

Yesterday you taught a powerful lesson to the cynics who assume Americans don't care about the environment. Your response to the story of environmental heroes in our new book This Moment on Earth has been amazing -- and from the bottom of our hearts Teresa and I are incredibly grateful.

Thanks to you, the book is the #1 best selling non-fiction book and the #8 best selling book overall on Amazon!

This book shares the stories of the environmental heroes standing up to cynicism and inaction. Teresa and I wrote it not just because we share in the struggle to save our environment, but because this struggle is more about you than it is about us. If you want a look at the kind of people we're trying to honor and support (all the proceeds from the book are dedicated to environmental causes), check out the inspiring stories sent in by the JohnKerry.com community.

Please, read the book, share your thoughts about environmental heroes you know -- and spread the word. You're making a difference.

This Moment on Earth at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/This-Moment-Earth-Todays-Environmentalists/dp/1586484311/

OBAMA ON THE WAR IN IRAQ -

The presidential primaries continue to heat up and the war in Iraq is front and center in the fight for the nomination. DFA members asked the candidates to oppose any escalation of the Iraq War, demand a swift end to the occupation, and propose a plan that brings our brave men and women home.

We continue to bring the candidates' responses directly to you with this message made especially for DFA members by Senator Barack Obama:

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/obama

In 2004, we were proud to endorse Barack in our first "Dean Dozen" in his race for the U.S. Senate. Now, Senator Obama is working hard to earn your support for the White House in 2008.

Senator Obama believes it "is time to admit that no amount of American lives will resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war." His plan to bring the troops home by the end of 2008 will "pressure the Sunni and Shiite to come to the table and find peace." He challenges us to be "the generation that honors our [veteran's] courage" by providing the care they need when they return. Senator Obama also wants to thank you:

"I want to say thanks to Democracy for America.... if all of you are [active and engaged] then I am absolutely confident that over time things will change. That's how change happens in America from the bottom up... So, I thank you again for your extraordinary efforts."

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/obama

The road to the Democratic nomination is a long one and each candidate will be working hard for your endorsement and your vote. DFA members will continue to work together and pressure the presidential candidates on the most important issues. Victory in 2008 is up to us.

Thank you for everything you do,

Tom Hughes
Executive Director

P.S. Senator Barack Obama took the time to respond directly to you. If you like what you see and hear, I encourage you to sign up for his campaign and help in any way you can:

http://www.barackobama.com

That said, this message should not be construed as DFA's endorsement of Senator Obama's candidacy. In the months ahead, other candidates for president will be reaching out to Democracy for America members too, because you have the power to shape the presidential primaries in a way no one else can.

SENATE PASSES PHASED REDEPLOYMENT FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ

The Senate passed historic legislation that calls for a phased redeployment for our troops in Iraq while ensuring they have the support they need. It's an important first step in ending the war in Iraq. But President Bush has threatened to veto the bill.

The American people have had enough of the president's failed strategy in Iraq. Join Hillary in telling him to listen to the will of the people and to Congress, withdraw his veto threat, and begin phased redeployment of the troops out of Iraq.

IN THE SENATE

Hillary proposed legislation to expand testing and treatment of traumatic brain injuries for our wounded soldiers ...Hillary proposed reauthorizing the Pediatric Rule which requires the FDA ensure that all pediatric drugs are safe for children before allowing them on the market...Continuing her efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, Hillary reintroduced a bill to restore family planning funding to Medicaid to provide education and resources to low-income women.

REP. MCGOVERN ENDORSES HILLARY:

Outspoken war opponent Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern endorsed Hillary last week, saying she was the best candidate to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home safely

HILLARY POLLING STRONG
Several national and state polls showed Hillary's strength last week. Hillary leads the primary field by 18 points in the latest Fox News poll, extending her lead by 7 points since last month. And the latest Zogby and Gallup Polls both showed Hillary leading the primary field by double-digits.

State polls last week showed Hillary with strong leads in New York, where two polls have her beating both Rudy Giuliani and John McCain in head-to-head matchups. Marist College has Hillary leading Giuliani by 7 and McCain by 16, and the primary field by 28 points. Siena College has Hillary leading Giuliani by 12 and McCain by 19, and the primary field by 29 points. In Texas Hillary leads the primary by 14 points, and in Pennsylvania Hillary gained 7 points in March to extend her lead to 19.

GOV. CORZINE ENDORSES HILLARY

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine endorsed Hillary today, calling her "a leader" and saying "I hope the American people will recognize she is the most qualified person to be President of the United States." Congressmen Rob Andrews and Frank Pallone and more than a dozen other elected officials also endorsed Hillary today, giving her strong support in the Garden State.

STAND UP FOR PATIENT SAFETY


In February, we told you that your Senator plays a critical role on the Health Committee. In March, we said that a bill to give you and your doctors more information about hazardous drug side effects would be on the move.

Well, next Wednesday your Senator has the chance to make this a really strong bill and move it to the full Senate for a vote. Together we have sent more than 43,000 messages to the Senate Health Committee.

Now is the time to close the deal and strengthen this bill!

This bill would finally give doctors and the public information about dangerous drug risks, and the FDA more authority over drug companies to improve drug safety.


We know the drug industry will be using its influence to try to defeat this bill. A report just released from the Center for Public Integrity says, “the (drug) industry is opposed to any legislation that would give the FDA more oversight,” and shows that drug companies and their trade associations spent a record $155 million between 2005-2006 to lobby Congress. That’s more than $289,000 for each member!

Let’s not allow the big drug company lobby to stand in the way of real reform. Your Senator is critical to fixing our broken drug safety system. Tell your Senator to stand up for patient safety, not drug company interests!

With your help, we can change the status-quo, which has allowed dangerous drugs like Vioxx on the market.

After you take action, please pass this message onto 10 family members or friends in your state.

Thank you,
Liz Foley
PrescriptionForChange.org
A project of Consumers Union
101 Truman Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10703-1057

oppose the so-called Safe Drug Compounding Act of 2007


We told you last week ago about Senators Kennedy (D-MA) Burr (R-NC) and Roberts (R-KS), among others considering legislation that would severely restrict and possibly deny your access to critical medications. Your response has been great! Within 24 hours, thousands of letters were sent to the Senate in opposition of the so-called Safe Drug Compounding Act of 2007.



But we’re not stopping there. We are working with numerous groups (from medical societies, to women groups, to disease/condition associations) to present a united front on this bill. We have organized a strategy meeting with several of the organization for April 12 to roll up our sleeves and dive in! Following this meeting, we’ll have an action plan and a timetable.



We have already received word that this issue could be brought up at an upcoming Congressional Hearing before the Senate Committee on Aging scheduled for next week. We are working with a speaker who has been asked to testify – this is a great opportunity to get the real issue (consumer access) into Congressional record!



For now, here are some of the ways that you can help



MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD


If you haven’t yet taken action, please click here to send your alert to your senators.



If you live in Massachusetts , North Carolina , or Kansas (or know people that are residents of these states) – it is particularly important that you contact your senator who is supporting the bill and let them know that you DO NOT support this legislation.



Please call immediately:

Sen. Kennedy - 202.224.4543
Sen. Burr - 202.224.3154
Sen. Roberts - 202.224.4774


Your voice does make a difference. But don't stop there.



SPREAD THE WORD
Send an email to your contacts with our Tell A Friend!



We have finalized our flyer and we encourage you to print it off and pass it around. If you’d like a large quantity, please contact us to request free copies. The flyer is a PDF file on our website. In fact, you can check out a section devoted to this issue (click here).



In addition to our flyer, are developing other materials and have speakers. Please let us know what you need to help spread the word!



SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS


Your financial assistance will help us accomplish all these things that we need do. Creating and distributing flyers, contacting Congress, advertising, setting up meetings, are all important items but we need additional funds to successfully tackle this problem.



Please join or donate to AAHF today.



Thank you for caring and taking the time to make your voice heard. We appreciate your efforts.



Best, Brenna




Brenna Hill
Executive Director
American Association for Health Freedom
4620 Lee Highway, Suite 210
Arlington , VA 22207
1.800.230.2762
Fax: 703.294.6380
www.healthfreedom.net

TAKE A STAND AGAINST HATE CRIMES

It's time we face the truth: Hate crimes happen. More often than we might think. In big cities and in small towns. To teenagers and to senior citizens.

None of us are immune; all of us are connected.

According to the FBI, each day 25 Americans fall victim to a hate crime. One in six hate crimes involves the sexual orientation of the victim. But current federal law rarely covers these attacks, and they often go unsolved.

Take two minutes to tell your representative to bring hate criminals to justice.
www.hrc.org/fighthate

With a fair-minded majority in Congress, we have the best chance to pass a federal hate crimes law that would cover crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Landmark legislation could come to a vote soon in the House, and tomorrow we are holding a press conference as it hits the Senate. Help us be heard, loud and clear.

Click here TODAY to make sure your representative supports this Act.

Unfortunately, several powerful right wing groups – like the Family Research Council – are trying to stop this legislation in its tracks by resorting to outrageous lies. Will your representative's vote be swayed?

Your voice – and tens of thousands of others – will give us the strength we need tomorrow as we make the American public aware of the need for this long-overdue legislation. Thank you for joining us.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President

HELP STOP BIG TOBACCO - SIGN THE PETITION

Yesterday, the House released its budget proposal and can you believe it only includes $8.25 million for lifesaving tobacco prevention and cessation programs? That's just not enough to protect our kids and fight the leading cause of preventable death in Massachusetts.

Click here to urge your state representative to co-sponsor a budget amendment that would double the House budget proposal.
http://massachusetts.grassroots.com/fund/House/041307



We've got a great opportunity to increase funding this year for these life-saving programs. New evidence released just yesterday shows that while the rest of the country has seen a decrease in cigarette sales, here in Massachusetts sales actually rose by three percent! But statistics like that can be reserved with a comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation program.

Governor Patrick's budget proposal funds the state's tobacco control program at $16 million. An amendment filed by Representative Rachel Kaprielian would match that level. While still falling short of the $35 million funding level recommended by the federal government, this would be a dramatic step forward in restoring much-needed youth prevention and smoking cessation services for everyone.

Click here to send an email to urge your state representative to co-sponsor the Kaprielian budget amendment.
http://massachusetts.grassroots.com/fund/House/041307





Thank you so much for all your help on this important issue. After you have taken action, please forward this email to your friends and family.

Sincerely,

Diane Pickles
Tobacco Free Mass Coalition

Carter Headrick
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

An Update on Health Care

Poll Shows Health Care Is Top Issue in Election

Today Americans for Health Care, a project of SEIU, released a poll conducted by Lake Research Partners which reveals that health care is a top issue for voters across the country and was a powerful issue in deciding the outcome of the mid-term elections. The poll was conducted November 5 - 7, 2006.

Key findings of the poll include:

· "Health care" and "prescription drugs" (27 percent) were tied with "The situation in Iraq

" (27 percent) and second only to "Economy and jobs" (34 percent) as the top concerns of voters.

· Rising health care costs was the most intense economic concern of voters (29 percent).

· Health care has increased in salience since 2004, with 47 percent saying it was the most or one for the most important issues in making their vote for Congress, compared to 32 percent in 2004.

· Sixty-six (66) percent thought health care was discussed too little by the candidates.

· Seventy-four (74) percent of voters think health care should be a high priority for the new Congress.

For more poll results, go to www.ImAHealthCareVoter.org.

Health Care Candidates Win Across the Country!

Election Day has come and gone and Health Care Voters across the country can claim victory! We all know that a band-aid is good for a cut finger or a scraped knee. But it won't fix a leaky pipe and it won't fix the health care crisis. Pro-health care candidates across the country also recognized this and won thanks, in part, to the issue of health care!

Thanks to all your hard work, health care was a priority issue for many candidates in state and federal races. By our count, 11 Governors, 22 Senators, and 20 Representatives won with health care as a major cornerstone of their campaign.

We're already starting to gear up for the 2008 presidential election and will continue to count on Health Care Voters to continue making a real difference! Keep up the great work on health care!

TELL PRESIDENT BUSH TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF DARFUR IN SUDAN

While our politicians are returning home from the campaign trail, over 2 million displaced people in Darfur are struggling to survive in cramped refugee camps, where food is scarce and medical help is almost non-existent. It breaks my heart to know that families in Darfur are victims of not only a civil war, but also of the broken promises of their own government.

It’s been over two months since the government of Sudan agreed to send help to those suffering in Darfur. They have yet to follow through on this promise, but you can help by taking action.

Tell President Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to put diplomatic pressure on Sudan, and bring humanitarian aid to Darfur!

A UN peacekeeping force remains the only hope to bring peace to this war-torn region. The UN Security Council has already authorized the force but they are not able to reach Darfur while the Sudanese government doesn't agree to let them in. That's why it's so important that our leaders demand that the peacekeepers are admitted!

Darfurians are caught between an increasingly violent civil war and face genocide on a daily basis. This is America’s big chance to take a new path as global citizens, but we need your voice to make it happen.

Take action at: http://go.care2.com/e/qE6m/AFwJ/Erx6

In the three years since the rebel fighting started, at least 400,000 women, children, and men have been killed; more than 2 million have been forced from their homes; and over 3.5 million rely completely on international aid for survival. And just the other week, the UN Secretary General’s special representative was ordered to leave the country!

All the while, the number of civilian deaths in this brutal civil war continues to climb. The situation in Darfur is shocking, but if we don’t send aid now the worse may be yet to come. The UN's top humanitarian official Jan Egeland recently said that Darfur is "going from real bad to catastrophic."

Please sign the petition at: http://go.care2.com/e/qE6m/AFwJ/Erx6 Together, we can bring hope and relief to people trapped in the most unthinkable circumstances.

Join me in telling President Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to increase humanitarian aid, strengthen the African Union force, declare a no-fly zone, and pressure the Sudanese government to keep their promises! Thank you for protecting the basic human rights of those who need our help in Darfur by signing today

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OF RETAILERS - SAY NO TODAY!

As you start your holiday shopping, you can save hundreds of dollars by saying "no, thank you" to extended warranty offers. Take our quick, free extended warranty pledge!

Consumer Reports estimates that Americans could save $1.6 billion dollars this year--money you can spend on holiday gifts or just save for a rainy day. Pledge to say "no" to extended warranties today, and then come back later and tell us how much money you saved.
We feel so strongly that extended warranties are a bad deal for consumers, that we took out a full page ad in today's USA Today asking you to just say no.

Extended warranties are great for retailers, but a notoriously bad deal for you. Our data shows that products seldom break within the extended-warranty window (typically around three years), and when electronics and appliances do break, the repair often costs about the same as the cost of the warranty.

Retailers give you the hard sell because they often make more money on the sale of an extended warranty than they make on the products themselves. That doesn't mean it's right for you.

Take our pledge to say "no" and save!

And please tell us about your own extended warranty experiences! We've left a place on the pledge form to tell us anything you have to say.

Your friends and family are probably starting their holiday shopping soon too! Tell them about the Consumer Reports pledge and our latest shopping tips. And ask them to take our pledge and help us figure out how much money shoppers save this year by saying no to extended warranty offers.

HELP PROTECT WORKERS RIGHTS!

For the first time in more than a decade, we will have a Congress that can work for us. Feels good, doesn’t it?

Between now and the start of the next session of Congress, the Democratic Majority will chart its legislative course. Make your voice heard: ask the new Congressional leadership to make workers’ rights a top priority on its agenda.

Sign our petition to incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to advance the Employee Free Choice Act.

The Employee Free Choice Act will strengthen workers’ rights and hold anti-union employers accountable. When Congress passes this important legislation, tougher penalties will be in place to protect workers whose rights are violated. Workers would have a fair, simple, direct method for organizing unions. And employers would be forced to stop dragging out contract negotiations for years and years.

Ask Speaker Pelosi to stand up for workers’ rights:
http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/efca_pledge06

Between now and the start of the next Congress, thousands of workers will be harassed, coerced, intimidated, or even fired when they try to exercise their legal rights to form unions.


These workers cannot wait any longer for Congress to act. Their jobs are on the line. They need stronger laws to protect them against discrimination and intimidation. They need a simpler, straightforward method to indicate their desire for a union. And they need a system that ends the ability for employers to delay negotiations for years and years.
We must act now to get on the radar screen of our leaders in Washington.

Tell Congress’ new leader to pledge to pass the Employee Free Choice Act next year.
http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/campaign/efca_pledge06

Thank you again for your dedication to protecting workers' rights!

STOP BOLTON!

At a time of growing global crises, the United States needs a strong leader at the United

Nations who can advance international cooperation. Unfortunately, the Bush administration is nominating someone we already know is not up to the job.

In 2005, the Bush administration nominated John R. Bolton to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. When the Senate refused to approve Bolton because of concerns that he was a poor choice, President Bush used a procedural maneuver to give him the job anyway.

A year later, the Senate's concerns have been proven correct. In his time at the UN, Bolton has pursued a "my way or the highway" strategy that has undermined U.S. foreign policy, alienated allies, and hurt our nation’s security. Now the President is re-nominating John Bolton and seeking Senate approval. He is the wrong man for this critical job. Tell your senators not to approve John Bolton for the vital position of Ambassador to the UN.

While states and even corporate America are taking steps to reduce energy use and slow global warming, what has our federal government done?

Many in Congress have sat idly on the sidelines, counting their contributions from Big Oil. Join us today in demanding that our elected representatives advance new energy policies that will benefit America and the environment, not their campaign coffers.

Click here now to sign LCV's New Energy Now! Petition.

Our New Energy Now! Petition, with your signature, will send a powerful message to Congress: America needs a 21st Century plan for energy independence. It's time to act.

As Election Day in November approaches, we are putting pressure on politicians to adopt smart energy policy platforms. To help them, the League of Conservation Voters actually devised a platform of its own!

It includes:

Higher fuel economy standards. We can make cars go further on a gallon of gas, and reduce oil consumption, smog, and global warming pollution.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency. New technologies can significantly reduce our dependence on oil.

Long-term global warming solutions. America can be a world leader in reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

Protection of America's special places. The U.S. should keep our wild places wild, our coasts free of drilling, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge intact.

With important midterm elections in November, your representatives in Congress would be truly remiss to ignore you. So speak up today!

Add your name to the New Energy Now! Petition – tell your representatives in Congress to pursue smart energy solutions.

If our elected leaders pursue this platform, it would have a dramatic impact on our economic and environmental future and help solve our energy problems.

Thank you for standing with us for better energy for America

Remember the 2000 and 2004 general elections? Voters in Florida, Ohio and other states were caught up in electoral debacles that led to major problems on Election Day and voter distrust of our election system today.Voting problems could happen again this November, when an estimated 40% of American voters will use an electronic voting machine to cast their ballot.

Demand verified voting.

These machines, which were supposed to be part of election reform, leave NO paper record of our votes! They provide no permanent documentation that could prove that votes are being counted accurately. In the world's greatest democracy - this is just unacceptable.

Measures are especially needed in Florida and Ohio, where so many votes appear to have been mishandled in recent elections. Join me in calling on the Governors of Florida and Ohio to set an example for the whole nation.

Demand that they require any electronic voting machines used in their states to provide voters with a paper receipt.

Take action! Join Senator Evan Bayh in calling on Governor Bush and Governor Taft to lead the way for verified voting in the critical states of Florida and Ohio

Once upon a time, not too long ago, people argued that global warming didn't exist.
But as we move into a long, hot summer, few continue to ignore evidence of global warming's devastating consequences: climbing temperatures worldwide; more violent hurricanes like Katrina and Rita; chronic wildfires and drought; and disappearing icecaps and glaciers. All the while, energy prices continue to rise, hurting American families in the pocketbook. Global warming is happening now, and it's time to act.
Today, the League of Conservation Voters is launching a campaign – The Heat is On: Demand Global Warming Leadership Now! – to make a difference about global warming. We will mobilize thousands of Americans to call on Congress, the President, and both political parties to make their plans to tackle global warming and move America to a more secure energy future a central issue in the upcoming elections in November.
Click here to sign the Global Warming Leadership Petition demanding that politicians and candidates for office make global warming and clean energy a priority in the 2006 elections.
The evidence for global warming is convincing and clear-cut. Even President Bush recently said, "I think we have a problem on global warming." But America's political leaders, including President Bush, have not taken action to address the problem. With one-third of the Senate and all House members up for reelection this November, we have a perfect opportunity to begin a national discussion and demand practical solutions, including:
New energy technologies that create jobs and build our economy
More fuel-efficient vehicles that reduce our reliance on oil
Cleaner power production that reduces greenhouse gas emissions
Caps on global warming pollution
In the next few months, candidates for Congress and many local races will be combing their districts, holding town meetings and campaign events, and talking to voters and editorial boards. Now is the time to remind America's future political leaders that they hold the key to solving our epic energy problems.
For all the dire predictions, there are also sensible solutions to global warming. America has the technological know-how to reduce our reliance on oil and other fossil fuels, reduce emissions that cause global warming, and make our economy more energy efficient. We as citizens must demand that our elected officials act now to develop policies to stop global warming before our environment is irreparably harmed.
Sign the Global Warming Leadership Petition. Tell politicians and candidates that The Heat is On! We want to hear their plans for a cleaner, cheaper, better energy future.
Today LCV begins the march to own our energy future and lead the world economy with a forward-looking strategy. We certainly hope you join us!

HELP STOP OVERFISHING

Fishing is one of America's oldest industries, and it remains an important part of life in many communities. But without health fish populations, those ecosystems, and jobs are in jeopardy.
Tell Congress to save our nations fishing legacy and ecosystems>> http://go.care2.com/e/l4X/NJ/Erx6
Of the myriad threats to our oceans, one of the most serious is rampant overfishing. Before the passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (MSA) the vast wealth our fisheries were open to anyone that wanted to harvest them. And overfishing ran rampant. Passage of the MSA has prevented many species of fish being over harvested.
The Senate has recently approved changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act aimed at strengthening the act, and rebuilding fish stocks while protecting jobs in the commercial fishing industry. Now Rep. Richard Pombo is pushing a bill that would roll back many of the provisions of current law that prevent overfishing. Pombo's bill would restrict public and scientific debate on fisheries management plans, let the fishing industry off the hook for exceeding annual catch limits, and add more extensions to the 10 year deadline to rebuild diminished fish stocks.
Tell your member of Congress to save our nation's fishing legacy by opposing the bill offered by Richard Pombo>> http://go.care2.com/e/l4X/NJ/Erx6
Thanks for taking action today,
Michael Lawley,Care2 and ThePetitionSite team
Thank you for signing up to receive Animals & Environment Alerts via ThePetitionSite or Care2 website! Your email address has not been bought from other sources. If you learned something interesting from this newsletter, please forward it to your friends, family and colleagues.

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