Rapid Response Network - Friday Edition - Please do what you can!

[DesEtoiles]

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ACTION ITEM
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Frist Set to Use Religious Stage on Judicial Issue


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15judges.html


"As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees.

and in the same vein:

 

Frist Likely to Push for Ban on Filibusters

Failure Risks Conservatives' Ire; Success May Prompt Legislative Stalemate

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54661-2005Apr14.html

 

"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is all but certain to press for a rule change that would ban filibusters of judicial nominations in the next few weeks, despite misgivings by some of his fellow Republicans and a possible Democratic backlash that could paralyze the chamber, close associates said yesterday.

 

 

*ACTION*

 

1)Contact Senator Frist    http://tinyurl.com/c9zfa

    Let him know:

    a) What you think of his using "the faith card" like this. In this time of overheated rhetoric and violence against judges, is it truly wise or even advisable for him to              participate in a telecast such as this? And why is it that Republicans think they are the only people of faith?

    b) That the "nuclear option" is bad for the country, bad for politics, and it will be bad for him should he choose to pursue it.

 

 

2)Letters to the editor: mailto:[e-mail]

                                

                                 mailto:[e-mail]

Mary O'Sullivan (NY)

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ACTION ITEM
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The "White House" is again impeding an investigation, and the media is again failing to cover their failure to cooperate.  As you know, this is not the first time Bush and his administration have impeded an investigation.  The media has been too silent on this administration's PR tactics, including paying journalists to shill for them.  And they're too silent now when the administration says pretty things about not paying journalists but refuse to cooperate when it comes to getting to the truth.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-04-14-williams-investigation_x.htm
White House said to impede education probe

The Bush administration is impeding an investigation into the Education Department's hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams by refusing to allow key White House officials to be interviewed, a Democratic lawmaker briefed on the review said Thursday.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-armstrong15apr15,0,7333618,print.story?coll=la-home-nation
White House Curbs Probe of Commentator's Hiring

Education Department investigators looking into the administration's controversial hiring of commentator Armstrong Williams were denied the opportunity to interview some White House personnel because of a White House claim that such interviews could breach long-standing legal traditions.

This week, Higgins and members of his staff briefed Miller and informed him that they had encountered two potential obstacles, Miller said in an interview.

The first was the White House refusal to allow investigators to interview all officials who may have had knowledge of the Williams contract. Second was that Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was considering deleting part of a draft copy of the inspector general's report, which has not been released.

Asked about the assertion that Spellings intended to invoke a "deliberative process privilege" that would require Higgins to delete information from the report, Spellings' office issued a statement late Thursday saying she would release the inspector general's draft unedited.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15armstrong.html?pagewanted=print&position=

Debate Rekindles Over Government-Produced 'News'

A California Democrat accused the Bush administration on Thursday of failing to cooperate fully with the inspector general at the Education Department in an investigation of the government's hiring of Armstrong Williams, a prominent conservative commentator, to promote the president's signature education legislation.

The comments of the Democrat, Representative George Miller of California, came as the Federal Communications Commission and the Senate stepped into a second controversy over the public relations policies of the Bush administration, and moved toward strengthening the rules that govern how video news releases are produced and broadcast.


Williams was paid $240,000 of taxpayer money.  We deserve to know the truth, including who was involved at the White House.

In the same vein, video news releases have lately gotten somewhat more coverage, although again not what it should -- when you see almost 6,000 returns on a Terri Schiavo news search and see something closer to 100 results for recent news stories about the government's video "news" releases, we've got a problem.  the Senate just voted to ban the releases and the FCC warned the administration that the "news" releases must be labeled and it must be clear that they're government produced when they air. 

*ACTION*

Google search showing just a tiny bit of coverage of the Williams issue:  http://news.google.com/news?q=white+house+armstrong+williams&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=N&tab=nn&oi=newsr

Google search for the government video "news" releases:  http://news.google.com/news?q=video+news+releases'&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=N&tab=nn&oi=newsr

Write to your local media.  If they're not covering the Bush administration's use of paid services (e.g., paying journalists, video "news" releases) to sway public opinion, why not?  And why aren't they covering the fact that the administration is using American tax dollars to do so?  This is part of a big picture, including using tax dollars for the Social Security tour, the cost of which is also now being questioned by Democrats.  The media are not doing their jobs covering this issue.

Anne Lindsay (NC)




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ACTION ITEM
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More help needed on the FEC project. 


Adam (FEC Project) suggests we look for info regarding
Jon Lauck (and other "bloggers") work for the Thune
campaign, in terms of when and how often their payment
by the campaign was disclosed. There's a piece in the
Argus Leader from, I think, August that's the first
one I know of.

Info can be sent to me at
[e-mail].

Rob Nesvacil (IL)



---------------
Of Interest
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World Bank Chief to Become a Special Mideast Envoy  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15diplo.html?pagewanted=print&position=

Making Connections: Why is the news so bad?  What can progressives do to fix it?
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/print/making_connections/

If  You Think Taxes Are a Pain Now.....  http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-burman15apr15,0,1713570,print.story

Latest Assault on Judges Threatens Rule of Law  http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-sunstein15apr15,0,5129540,print.story

Study Sees Shift in ER Care  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hospital15apr15,0,6160671,print.story?coll=la-home-local

Bush Disarms, Unilaterally  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/opinion/15friedman.html?pagewanted=print&position=

The Medical Money Pit  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/opinion/15krugman.html?pagewanted=print&position=

A Dirty Little Footnote to the Energy Bill  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/business/15pollute.html?pagewanted=print&position=

No. 2 Intelligence Nominee Testifies on Privacy Rules  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15intel.html?pagewanted=print&position=

New website with helpful DeLay research:   http://houseofscandal.org/
Bush is Seen as Unlikely to See DeLay's Ouster   http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15texans.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Bush Calls DeLay an Effective Leader   http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/print?id=670367


Accountability Burden May Be Eased  http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51777-2005Apr13?language=printer

Is the 1st Amendment being hijacked by the mainstream media?  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0504140145apr14,0,3698653.column
Protecting the Press -- And the Public  http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55030-2005Apr14?language=printer

Give Democracy Its Due  http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55033-2005Apr14?language=printer

Pelosi Statement on Privileged Ethics Resolution    http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=45878
Pelosi: "Bankruptcy Bill Seeks to Squeeze Even More Money for Credit card Companies from the Most Hard-Pressed Americans http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=45897

Deported Terror Suspects Tortured  http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5171385-105744,00.html





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[Tanuki]

1. I called

I called Frist's senate office this morning to express my outrage and disgust in no uncertain terms. I live in Tennessee, and let his office know that I was speaking as a constituent and a Southern Baptist, and found this violation of the separation of church and state utterly unacceptable. I said that his attempt to cast the filibuster debate as a matter of religious faith totally crossed the line of decency. In addition to the e-mail address in the original post, you can contact Frist's office here:

Office of Senator Bill Frist
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3344
202-228-1264 (fax)

[MollyStark]

2. Good job and thank you from a non TN er

What religion is Frist, do you know?

[Tanuki]

4. supposedly

Frist is Presbyterian.

[DesEtoiles]

6. good work. thanks.

[Fire Walk With Me]

3. Emailed the Times

Regarding "people of faith".

"History is filled with charismatic groups, each claiming exclusive access to deity, and thus deity mandate of actions. The bodies of those excluded, also fill history."

Histrionic, but true. If I have faith, it's that these people will go too far.

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. Let me know if I plagiarized that...