Wash.: Marijuana decriminalization bill moves forward

March 5, 2009.

Dear fellow Americans:

On February 19, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB 5615, which would reclassify adult possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana as a civil infraction imposing a $100 penalty that could be paid by mail. Currently, possession of less than 40 grams is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 — the mandatory minimum punishment is 24 hours in jail and a fine of $250.

SB 5615 is now in the Rules Committee, which must take action and send the bill to the Senate floor for a full vote before March 12.

Please send your senator an e-mail in support of SB 5615.

We need as many people sending e-mails in support of SB 5615 as possible, so please pass this alert along to anyone else you know in Washington that supports keeping responsible adults out of jail for using a substance that is safer than alcohol.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies.

Sincerely,

Nathan Miller
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Is Pasta a Weapon? Ask Secretary of State Clinton.

Lately, the State Department has been…um…fumbling for the right words to describe Israel's illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip. Just look at the ludicrous exchange between a reporter and State Department spokesperson Robert Wood at a press briefing last week here.

Discussing whether pasta is a dual-use weapon might be funny were it not for the fact that Israel's illegal blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip is barely keeping 1.5 million people at survival levels.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged $900 million in U.S. aid at the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza.

At first glance, this pledge seems fair given that U.S. military aid to Israel was responsible for the destruction of an estimated $2 billion in Palestinian civilian infrastructure. But, look closer at the pledge, and you'll find that not one dollar is devoted to the reconstruction of the occupied Gaza Strip.

Instead, the money, if approved by Congress, will go towards humanitarian aid ($300 million), budgetary support for the Palestinian Authority ($200 million), and economic and institutional reforms in the West Bank ($400 million).

For details on the pledge package, please click here. Worse yet, in her speech to the donor's conference, Clinton made no mention of ending Israel's illegal military occupation of the Gaza Strip or lifting Israel's illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip. For the text of her remarks, please click here.

TAKE ACTION:

1. Contact Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by text or email by clicking here.

While traveling in the Middle East and Europe through Saturday, Clinton will be taking questions from the public. Ask your question by clicking here.

Here are some suggested questions for the Secretary of State, or write your own:

* UN Security Council Resolution 1860 "Calls for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including of food, fuel and medical treatment." What are you doing to ensure that Israel complies with this resolution?

* President Obama stated that "Gaza's border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce." What are you doing to end Israel's illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip?

* Rep. Dennis Kucinich has requested that the State Department investigate Israel's possible violations of the Arms Export Control Act during its recent war on Gaza. Could you please state what your department is doing to ensure that this investigation is conducted in an accurate and transparent manner?

* State Department spokesperson Robert Wood was unclear if the United States considers pasta a dual-use weapon. Could you state your opinion on whether Israel should be allowed to control what types of food Palestinians in the Gaza Strip eat?

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Another one Bites the Dust.

Crain's NY
by: Miriam Kreinin Souccar
photo: ALANE GOLDEN, c. 2009.

March 04, 2009 3:28 PM

Premier NY Prop Rental Company to File for Bankruptcy.

Buckled by the recession and other factors, Props for Today will seek protection from its creditors. The prop supplier owes $900,000 in back rent.

Props for Today, a 28-year-old prop house that supplies furnishings for productions like 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live, is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the next week or so, a victim of the deepening recession, last year’s writers’ strike, and the loss of a state tax break.

The impending bankruptcy was disclosed in a bankruptcy filing by Props for Today’s parent company, Interieurs Inc., on Tuesday. Another of Interieurs’ companies, Props for Yesterday, is also expected to file for bankruptcy protection soon.

Dyann Klein, owner of the companies, is seeking to reorganize after a particularly difficult period.

“The decrease of film making and television in New York, which began with the writers' strike and has continued and been escalated by the loss of the tax incentives, has impacted everybody in this industry," Ms. Klein said. “I believe I will be able to implement necessary changes in reorganization in Chapter 11 and emerge as a much stronger, healthy company that will continue to be the leader in prop rentals in the industry for years to come.”

Props for Today is one of the premier prop rental companies in New York City. Given the ups and downs of the local production industry, it diversified into new businesses over the years, like renting out furniture for weddings and special events.

The last month has been especially hard for New York’s TV and film production businesses because the state’s tax incentive program ran out of money. No pilots were filmed in New York , and the city has already lost one television series, Fringe, which is relocating production to Vancouver.

According to Interieurs’ Chapter 11 filing, the company owes about $900,000 in rent on its 83,000-square-foot space on W. 34th Street to Vornado, its landlord.

Annual rent on the property is about $1.5 million. In December, Vornado initiated a non-payment proceeding against Interieurs in the Civil Court of the City of New York, seeking possession of the premises, according to the filing.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Nation Institute Sponsors Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz on the Economic Collaps: NYC

To our Friends and Supporters -

Join Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, author and activist Barbara Ehrenreich, Black Commentator's Bill Fletcher, Jr., Jeff Madrick and Nation D.C. editor Christopher Hayes in a wide-ranging and incisive conversation as they discuss the origins on the financial collapse, debate President Obama's stimulus package and consider what form economic recovery should take to ensure a more equitable future for everyone.

The event marks the publication of Meltdown: How Greed and Corruption Shattered Our Financial System and How We Can Recover (Nation Books) by Katrina vanden Heuvel and the editors of The Nation. The book will be available for purchase at the event, or you can order a copy by clicking here.

As this event will be televised, please be on time — the doors open at 7:15 p.m. Audience questions will be taken, and a book-signing will follow the conversation.

If you cannot make the event, check out this page for other ways you can participate.

Nation Books is putting together a live stream in addition to having two bloggers posting updates from the event. You will also be able to submit questions ahead of time (as well as during the event) on our Meltdown page. An audio podcast will be available several days after the event.

Meltdown: The Economic Collapse and a People's Plan for Recovery
DATE: March 6, 2009
LOCATION: New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, New York City
TIME: 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:15 p.m.
Please arrive as early as possible.

FREE OF CHARGE
SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

CO-SPONSORS:

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Moveon.org Asks for YOUR Health Care Skinny.

March 4, 2009.

Dear fellow Americans,

Since you signed the petition for health care reform, we wanted to let you know about the next step for this campaign.

Conservatives in Congress keep saying we can't afford to reform health care because of the economic crisis. In fact, the opposite is true.

The economic crisis and the health care crisis are feeding off each other, and we're the ones hurting because of it. Whether you're a small business owner, a self-employed entrepreneur, or someone who's seen your hours cut back, more and more of us are struggling to afford health care in this economy. Some of us are even facing bankruptcy or layoffs because health care costs are so outrageous.

Can you share your story of the economic troubles you face because of high health care costs? You can also share stories of friends, family, or community members. We'll highlight a few compelling stories in our health care campaign to drive home this crucial message.

http://pol.moveon.org/healthcare/costs/?id=15703-9067559-TwFzeix&t=3

In naming his health care team this week, President Obama said, "We must realize that fixing what's wrong with our health care system is no longer just a moral imperative, but a fiscal imperative."¹

As our wallets shrink, health care costs are only getting bigger. This year, they'll reach $8,000 per person, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services.² Experts say we would save 20-30% if we all had the option of a public health insurance plan like Medicare to compete with private insurers.³

But conservatives are ignoring the real economic consequences of high health care costs—they're only focusing on the cost of the initial investment. Your story can hold Congress' feet to the fire and help win the quality, affordable health care we all need.

Share your story—or the story of someone you know—about how high health care costs are dragging us down economically. Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/healthcare/costs/?id=15703-9067559-TwFzeix&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Noah, Peter, Anna, Wes and the rest of the team

Sources:
1. "Obama kicks off health care week with two nominations," Christian Science Monitor, March 2, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51220&id=15703-9067559-TwFzeix&t=5

2. "Health care costs to top $8,000 per person," Associated Press, February 24, 2009 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29355231/

3. "The Path to a High Performance U.S. Health System," The Commonwealth Fund, February 19, 2009 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51221&id=15703-9067559-TwFzeix&t=6

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

CCR's Campaign Calls for Accountability and Criminal Prosecutions of the Bush Administration.

March 4, 2009.

Dear CCR Supporters,

We are excited to announce the launch of the Center for Constitutional Rights' (CCR) new online campaign calling for accountability and criminal prosecutions of those Bush administration officials responsible for torture and war crimes.

From George W. Bush himself to Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as well as other top-ranking former administration officials, those who ordered and planned torture and war crimes must be held accountable. Take a few moments to sign an online petition calling for just that.

The campaign also calls upon Senator Patrick Leahy, who will hold a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 4, 2009 to discuss a "truth commission" that would investigate the crimes of the Bush administration and support prosecutions for those government officials who violated the law. Sign a letter to Sen. Leahy and the Judiciary Committee calling for them to support prosecutions and to oppose any immunity for these architects of torture programs.

This campaign is part of CCR's broader 100 Days campaign, that calls for immediate action by President Obama and the new administration to end the abuses of prior administrations and restore the Constitution.

A full investigation and consequent prosecutions are necessary to put an end once and for all to dangerous and illegal actions by the government - and for those wronged to see justice served. Join us and make your voice heard in saying that achieving justice and accountability must begin within the first 100 Days of the new administration.

Sincerely,
Vincent Warren
Executive Director
Center for Constitutional Rights

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

So, What Happened to Transparency and Accountability?

So, What Happened to Transparency and Accountability?

March 4, 2009.

Dear fellow Americans,

On March 5th, President Obama will hold a summit to discuss health care reform -- not one single-payer advocate has been invited to attend, even though the MAJORITY of Americans support a national health plan. Send the President an email TODAY, asking what happened to transparency and accountability?

The Massachusetts-style plan is deeply flawed as is any system with healthcare corporations at the core. Recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) studies concur. More info here.

While PDA has focused on electing a real single-payer healthcare advocate--Tom Geoghegan--to Congress, some “progressive” organizations have spent the week collecting signatures in order to defeat single-payer healthcare.

“Progressive" healthcare reformers need to decide which side they are on--with patients, doctors, and the majority of Americans, or with the healthcare corporations and their multi-millionaire CEOs. If you want real healthcare reform—HR 676 specifically—please support PDA, and ask your friends and families to support PDA. Please contribute here and pass this message along!

You can bet we won’t be throwing good money after bad for healthcare reform that basically delivers the same type of system we have now—healthcare corporations making decisions based on the bottom-line instead of doctor and patient needs.

PDA and the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Healthcare urge you to attend a protest at Lafayette Park on March 5 from noon to 1:00 p.m.—click here for details.

In solidarity,

Tim Carpenter
National Director,

Laura Bonham,
Deputy Director,

Conor Boylan,
Field Coordinator

P.S. For good measure, please sign the Healthcare NOT Warfare petition.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Revolution Now! Anonymous American Patriot Soldier.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Class Warfare: Bring it on.

Salon.com

Monday March 2, 2009 09:01 EST
by: Joan Walsh

Class warfare? Bring it on.

I found 470 mentions of Obama and "class warfare" in Google news just since Feb. 3. The L.A. Times may have been the most alarmist of mainstream sites: "Obama's budget: Taxing for fairness or class warfare?" on Friday. The same day David Horowitz's right-wing Front Page Magazine framed the question as a statement: "The Budget as Class Warfare." Personally I've heard the claim out of the mouths of MSNBC's Michelle Bernard and former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich on "Hardball" this past week. But they're Republicans paid to spout talking points. Why are mainstream reporters pushing this story line?

Media Matters captured the AP's Jennifer Loven asking White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, "Are you all worried at all that that kind of argument, that 'class warfare' argument could sink the ability to get some of these big priorities through?" Maybe the worst offender Media Matters found was Politico's Jeanne Cummings, whose "Class warfare returns to D.C." dripped with elitism as well as poor economic fundamentals.

"Obama's creative juices seemed to run dry as he turned Thursday to his party's most predictable revenue enhancer: taxing the wealthy," Cummings began, going on to lament, "Some economists argue that the anticipation of a return to higher tax rates may be enough to thwart critical investments and purchases." But she didn't quote one. Then we got this chestnut: "And who are the people out there today with the cash -- and confidence -- to spend? Most often they are people and families with earnings ranked in the top echelons and who will be subject to the Obama tax hike."

I'd say the class warfare is coming from media moguls like Politico backer Robert Albritton, who's funding such lamebrained and ideological reporting. Give that woman a raise!

I'm not shocked by the media taking to the barricades on behalf of the rich. I'm pleasantly surprised by liberals fighting back. I enjoyed the New York Times piece about Ralph Neas' new outfit, National Coalition on Health Care, that's pushing aggressive reform. It remains to be seen whether a group with corporate backing can truly agitate for the fundamental change needed, but with labor and other advocates at the table, the big questions will come up.

And I'm thrilled to hear President Obama ready for battle. I don't think anything has made me happier than what he said yesterday in his weekly radio address.

"I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries.

"In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:

"So am I.

While I have concerns with Obama on the civil liberties and "state secrets" fronts (thanks to Glenn Greenwald for all his great work there), I've been impressed with the president's passion and spirit as he readies to defend his budget. That's why I was so disappointed to see Maureen Dowd slap him again today in her high school mean girl way. She has a problem with Obama: She can't ever let him be a man.

Remember a year ago, when he was Obambi, cowering before two strong women: his "emasculating" wife Michelle and "dominatrix" Hillary Clinton? A couple of months later, he was a skittish "starlet obsessing about his svelte wasteline" (anticipating McCain's conflating Obama with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears by months). Well, Obambi won't fly now: He and Michelle have become the country's Lovers-in-Chief, with their every night out a PSA for Marital Hotness. Meanwhile, he was smart enough (and man enough) to make Clinton his secretary of state, and with his regular pickup basketball games and his boys night out at the Bulls-Wizards game this weekend, he's sure not looking like a skittish starlet.

So can Obama get to be a man now? Nope. In Sunday's Dowd column, "Spock on the Bridge," he's Mr. Spock from "Star Trek," the not quite mortal male, all brains, no passion. Dowd mocks Obama's "Vulcan-like logic and detachment" in selling his recovery and budget plans.

It makes no sense to me: I found Obama passionate, even angry at times, in his speech to Congress Tuesday night, and in his Saturday address. Beyond his recent "Give 'em hell" moments, I consistently find Dowd's symbolism very creepy: Why does our first black president have to be an emasculated baby deer, a starlet or a detached not-human Vulcan? When does he get to be a man? Does anybody have a problem with that idea? -- Joan Walsh

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

MPP Update: MARIJUANA THE BIGGEST ISSUE.

Dear fellow Americans,

After MPP passed the medical marijuana ballot initiative in Michigan and the marijuana decriminalization ballot initiative in Massachusetts — both on November 4 — I thought the MPP staff might get a little downtime to regroup for the 2009-2010 election cycle. Not so.

In the last four months, the MPP staff and our allies have been working almost nonstop to respond to — and take advantage of — the many opportunities that have been presenting themselves across the country. I've never seen so much evidence of positive change in such a short amount of time ...

1. MARIJUANA THE BIGGEST ISSUE: Two huge surveys of citizen activists across the country — one on Change.gov on December 12, and one on Change.org on January 15 — showed that the number-one issue on people's minds is ending the government's war on marijuana users.

2. BONG HIT SEEN AROUND THE WORLD: On February 1, the world learned that Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps had used marijuana a few months before, demonstrating yet again that using marijuana is compatible with being wildly successful in our society. When Kellogg's dropped its endorsement contract with Phelps — and MPP and other organizations responded by calling for a boycott of Kellogg's — the public's perception of Kellogg's took a nose dive.

3. EL PASO RESPONDS TO MEXICAN VIOLENCE: Responding to the prohibition-caused violence just over the border in Mexico, on January 6 the El Paso City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for "an honest, open national debate on ending the prohibition of narcotics," which drew the ire of some Texas politicians but also sparked a great deal of positive media coverage nationwide.

4. NATIONAL POLLING HIGHEST EVER: Between January 11 and February 14, three different national polls indicated that either 40%, 41%, or 44% of the American people now support ending marijuana prohibition. This is the highest level of support since marijuana was first prohibited in 1937, with support having risen by 1% a year since 1995.

5. REVOLT IN LATIN AMERICA: On February 12, a commission led by three former presidents from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico released a long-awaited report that blasted the U.S. drug war and called for the decriminalization of marijuana.

6. ENDING THE DEA's RAIDS IN CALIFORNIA: On February 25, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the DEA would no longer be raiding medical marijuana clinics in California and the 12 other states where medical marijuana is legal.

7. MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILLS MOVING: MPP's medical marijuana bills are moving through the Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York Legislatures, and the Drug Policy Alliance's similar legislation is moving in New Jersey. We have a real chance of making medical marijuana legal in four of these six states this year and — in the meantime — it's very possible that Montana and Rhode Island will expand their existing medical marijuana laws, too.

8. BROADER MARIJUANA BILLS MOVING: California shook the nation when a bill to tax and regulate marijuana was introduced on February 23. And even before that happened, the Hawaii, Montana, Vermont, and Washington Legislatures had already begun considering bills to decriminalize marijuana.

9. MPP DOMINATING ON YOUTUBE: As of today, MPP's channel on YouTube.com is the 10th most subscribed of all nonprofit channels, and MPP's videos are consistently in the top 10 most-viewed of all nonprofit videos in any given week. (And our 65,000 friends on MySpace.com places MPP among the top 10 most popular nonprofit organizations there, too.)

10. ONGOING MEDIA EXPLOSION: According to the weekly reports we get from Google, MPP has been getting its message into the news in the last month at 10 times the volume of previous months. And four different national TV specials are tentatively scheduled to look at marijuana over just a two-month span: CNBC looked at the marijuana industry in northern California on January 22, NBC's "Dateline" covered the Rachel Hoffman tragedy in Florida on January 23, ABC's "20/20" with John Stossel will be looking at medical marijuana on March 13, and MSNBC with Al Roker will be looking at the multi-billion-dollar marijuana industry on March 15.

Thank you for anything and everything you've done to help bring all this attention and success to our movement.

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Class Warfare: The Rich Strike Back.

The Business Council. The Real Estate Board. The Rent Stabilization Association. Ever hear of these groups? Probably not - they prefer to operate behind the scenes to keep taxes low and rake in the dough. Their latest move is to go on the offensive against the Working Families Party. It's a two pronged assault on our hard work: First, with a political mailing, as reported in the Daily News¹, and second with a top-secret political memo written by Montgomery Burns.

That's right. A fictional character from The Simpsons is now crafting strategy for opponents of Fair Share Tax Reform.

It's simple, really. We either fix the tax code so that the wealthiest New Yorkers pay a little bit more, or we ask the middle- and working classes to shoulder the burden. The second choice will mean more crowded classrooms, hospitals closures, an even tougher life for our elderly and disabled citizens and hundreds of other essential public services starved of funds. We support the first option - shared sacrifice.

On Thursday, we're taking it to the streets. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers will march in cities from Long Island to Buffalo to demand that the wealthy share the burdens of the economic crisis.

Rallies are taking place across the state. Can you attend?

I want the details.
No, I can't make it.

Our campaign is gaining steam, with huge majorities supporting our Fair Share Tax Reform.² To win though, we need to see you at the rally this Thursday, March 5th. Read what Montgomery Burns has to say about it:

Date: 2/26/09 From: Montgomery Burns To: Fellow Fatcats Re: Fair Share Tax Reform Rich people didn't get us into this mess. Ok, maybe we did. But that doesn't change the facts: Taxes are for the little people. New York is facing a $14 billion budget deficit. To close it, the Governor proposed shutting down hospitals, laying off thousands of teachers and shredding social services. It's a fine plan. But now, the commoners think they have a better idea. According to our sources, tens of thousands of them will 'rally' across the state demanding that (I can hardly type it!) the rich pay their fair share in taxes instead. They must be stopped. It's our duty to ensure no one attends or hears about these rallies. We are calling on you, our most loyal supporters, to do all you can to keep attendance down and press coverage nonexistent. If the media reports that people are angry, their legislators may start asking dangerous questions, like: why does the state's highest tax bracket start at just $20,000 a year? So, my friends, I'm counting on you. Keep attendance low at the rallies with the help of a media blackout, don't let your chauffeur take the day off, and consider throwing more money at politicians to get them to see things our way. Sincerely, Montgomery Burns Billionaires Against Really Fair Taxation (BARF-Tax)

We hope you can join us this Thursday and help defeat Mr. Burns and his corporate lobbyist friends. Either way, let us know:

I want the details.
No, I can't make it.

Thank you,

Charles Lenchner
Director of Online Organizing, WFP

* The rally in Melville, Long Island is taking place on Friday, March 6th.

Notes:
¹ http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2009/02/anti-millionaires-tax-mail.html ² "Voters continue to overwhelmingly support increasing the personal income tax on millionaires - 77-19 percent - to close the budget gap, and 59 percent support an income tax increase on those making more than $250,000 a year," The Siena Institute, 2/24/09 http://www.siena.edu/uploadedFiles/Home/Parents_and_Community/Community_Page/SRI/SNY_Poll/09%20February%20SNY%20Poll%20Release%20--%20Final.pdf

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.