PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP BUSH'S PUPPETEERING OF THE MEDIA

[pnutchuck]

ACTFORCHANGE ACTIVISM UPDATE: December 2, 2004

You are receiving this newsletter because you have previously taken
action on ActForChange in support of progressive values.

IN THIS BULLETIN:
*FEATURED ACTION: Stop Bush's $2 Trillion Social Security Boondoggle
*ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITY: Reps, Stand Up For Your Right to Read Bills
Before Casting Your Vote
*ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITY: Urge CBS and NBC to Run Anti-Bigotry Ad


-FEATURED ACTION-

Stop Bush's $2 Trillion Social Security Boondoggle

President Bush's top priority for his second term -- privatizing
Social Security -- is likely to be even more expensive than his
invasion of Iraq and his tax cuts for the highest income taxpayers. It
should be stopped before it starts, but momentum is building as an
unholy alliance of Wall Street lobbyists and right-wing ideologues
plot the demise of Social Security as we know it.

Click here to take action!
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/ecgm0IMtsn0NSK0svo0EX

In the guise of reform, Mr. Bush wants to divert a portion of today's
payroll taxes and let individual participants invest them through Wall
Street. Because those payroll taxes are already being used in part to
support today's retirees, most nonpartisan observers estimate that
this transition would require as much as $2 trillion in additional
Federal borrowing.

Click here to take action!
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/ecgm0IMtsn0NSK0svo0EX

**Please forward this newsletter to your friends and help spread the
word about this important campaign!


-ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITY-

Representatives, Stand Up For Your Right to Read Bills Before Casting
Your Vote

The Republican leadership is increasingly forcing votes on essential
legislation without allowing any time for review by representatives,
senators and the general public. This usually means they have
something to hide. For example, both the House and the Senate recently
rushed through and passed a $388 billion, 3,000+ page spending bill.
Members didn't have enough time to read the bill. They ended up voting
on literally hundreds of special interest provisions that would never
have survived public scrutiny or a standalone vote, including a buried
provision that would have allowed members of Congress to review any
American's tax return -- a fundamental violation of privacy.

Representatives should not be forced to vote for bills they haven't
read and the public should be given ample time to weigh in on such
bills.

Click here to take action!
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/ecgm0IMtsn0NSK0svp0EY

**Please forward this newsletter to your friends and help spread the
word about this important campaign!


-ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITY-

Urge CBS & NBC to Run Anti-Bigotry Ad

CBS and NBC have refused to air a paid advertisement produced by the
United Church of Christ (UCC). The outrageous message that warrants
censorship? The denomination wants viewers to know that everyone is
welcome at their churches.

Click here to view the ad and take action!
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/ecgm0IMtsn0NSK0svh0EQ

CBS states it is will not run the ad because it has a policy not to
run issue advocacy ads on topics that are part of a national public
debate. Similarly, the rejection by NBC declared the spot "too
controversial." The UCC ad apparently ran afoul of the CBS policy by
promoting the fact that its churches welcome gay and lesbian members
as well as members of other minority groups, youth and seniors.

The ad has been accepted and will air on a number of networks,
including ABC Family, AMC, and BET. It appears that CBS and NBC have
adopted a policy which says that any ad that differs from the views of
the Bush administration has no place on their networks.

Click here to view the ad and to sign our petition urging CBS and NBC
to reverse their decision and run the UCC anti-bigotry ad.
http://act.actforchange.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/ecgm0IMtsn0NSK0svh0EQ

**Please forward this newsletter to your friends and help spread the
word about this important campaign!


Thank you for working to build a better world,

Jennifer Willis
Director
ActForChange.com

[DeepGreen]

1. Signed

Thanks

[wolfgirl]

2. Done! eom

[xchrom]

3. done

believe it or not -- this was edited for spelling.
i don't want to talk about it.