Dennis Kucinich: The only presidential candidate willing to save America from a bloodbath

By Jane Stillwater

Al-Jazeerah, Feb21 ,2004

We have a situation here, America. "If we take our troops out of Iraq, there will be a bloodbath," say the pundits. Yet if we leave our troops in Iraq, we will be spilling the blood of yet more American GIs, bankrupting our country and stirring up the enmity of billions. There is no way that the hazards of this situation can be exaggerated. We are making enemies left and right over there; answering the pathetic civilian needs of that country with greed, corruption and death by gunfire. The war on Iraq costs us one billion dollars a week. America, continuing that war is a disastrous situation...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 4:18 PM

 
Sun, Feb 15, 2004

Kucinich keys on jobs, Iraq, health care

By Trudy Stewart
Central Wisconsin Sunday

STEVENS POINT - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich told about 250 people at a campaign rally Saturday that he sees three issues of great importance to Wisconsin voters at stake in Tuesday's presidential primary.

"Number one is the issue of jobs," Kucinich said during the rally, which was held at about 2 p.m. at Stevens Point Area Senior High School. "Wisconsin has lost thousands of jobs because of (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and (the World Trade Organization). I say those trade agreements have to go." The first thing he would do as president would be getting rid of NAFTA and the WTO, he said.

The second issue is the high cost of health care and the third is Iraq, said Kucinich, a Democratic congressman from Ohio.
The crowd began to stir and murmur when Kucinich predicted...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 6:29 AM

 
Pentagon Preps for War in Space (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,62358,00.html/wn_ascii

An Air Force report sheds light on little-known plans by the U.S.
military to develop space-based weapons. Some analysts fear the effort
could spark a new arms race. By Noah Shachtman.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Russia Tests New Wonder Weapon (Technology Thursday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/technology/0,1282,62350,00.html/wn_ascii

Short on details but long on hype, a Russian military chief claims the
hypersonic prototype maneuvers so quickly that it renders all missile-
defense systems 'useless.'
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


- posted by Daniel @ 5:29 AM

 
AWEA:

MOST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES STRONGLY SUPPORT WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE U.S., TRADE GROUP FINDS

Six Democratic Campaigns Respond to Survey;
Results Back Wind Power

http://www.awea.org/news/news040115pcs.html
- posted by Daniel @ 1:12 AM

 
Kucinich on Campaign Trail in Minnesota
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2004

Contact: Terre Lundy/Matt Harris: 216.889.2004, press@kucinich.us

Ohio Congressman and Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich will campaign in Minnesota on February 21st. Rep. Kucinich will visit South St. Paul, Northfield, and Minneapolis.

Representative Kucinich's schedule for February 21st is as follows:

South St. Paul
10:45 - 11:30 a.m. CT
Presentation
UFCW Local 789
266 Hardman Ave.
Campaign Coordinator: Virginia Stark, (651) 343-1479

Northfield, Minnesota
12:15 - 1:00 p.m. CT
Speech and Rally, Dennis and Patch Adams
Carleton College
Skinner Memorial Chapel
1 N. College Street
Campaign Coordinator: Sue Skog, (651) 208-3764

Minneapolis, Minnesota
2:00 - 5:00 p.m. CT
Rally for Peace, Justice, and Jobs with Dr. Patch Adams and Dennis Kucinich
Live music by Ellis and Fog
Northrop Auditorium
University of Minnesota
84 Church Street S.E.
Campaign Coordinator: Mary Jane LaVigne, (651) 261-6966

St. Paul, Minnesota
4:45 - 5:35 p.m. CT
Small groups discussions
El Rio Neighborhood Center
179 E. Robie St.
Campaign Coordinator: Virginia Stark, (651) 343-1479

South St. Paul, Minnesota
5:45 - 6:15 p.m. CT
Meeting
UFCW Hall
266 Hardman Ave.
Campaign Coordinator: Virginia Stark, (651) 343-1479

South St. Paul, Minnesota
6:15 - 9:15 p.m. CT
Minnesota National Lawyers Guild Annual Reception
UFCW Hall
266 Hardman Ave.
Campaign Coordinator: Virginia Stark, (651) 343-1479

Minneapolis, Minnesota
9:30 - 10:00 p.m. CT
Gathering to honor the candidate
House of Balls
212 Third Avenue North
Phone: (612) 332-3992
Campaign Coordinator: Mary Jane LaVigne, (651) 261-6966

All items subject to change. More details will be posted as soon as available.

For more campaign information: http://www.kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.

To schedule an interview: jonathans@kucinich.us

National contacts:
Jonathan Schwartz, (301) 928-7579 (cell), jonathans@kucinich.us
National Deputy Press Secretary: Nate Wilkes, 602-405-8625, nate@kucinich.us


Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:06 AM

 

Bush Campaign Targeting "Long-Shot" Kucinich in Ad Strategy:
President's advisors taking Ohio Congressman Seriously
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2004

Contact: Terre Lundy/Matt Harris: 216.889.2004, press@kucinich.us

The Bush re-election team has prepared dozens of commercials to undercut the efforts of the candidates seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, including Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich.

According to a report in The Washington Post, the Bush re-election campaign "is sitting on a $100 million war chest," and plans an advertising blitz in about 20 states targeting U.S. Sen. John Kerry and U.S. Sen. John Edwards. Republican strategists have also "prepared a couple of ad scripts targeting long shot Dennis Kucinich," according to the Post story.

"If they weren't worried about the Congressman's chances, they wouldn't be bothering or spending money to attack him," the Kucinich campaign responded. "They're worried because they should be worried."

For more campaign information: http://www.kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.

To schedule an interview: jonathans@kucinich.us

National contacts:
Jonathan Schwartz, (301) 928-7579 (cell), jonathans@kucinich.us
National Deputy Press Secretary: Nate Wilkes, 602-405-8625, nate@kucinich.us


Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:04 AM

 
Voting for your beliefs sure beats backing a winner

02/19/04

If I were a Democrat, I'd vote for Dennis Kucinich for president.
I'm not, and I won't. His politics and mine, for the most part, are polar opposites.

But if I were heir to the populism of Andy Jackson and FDR, of W.E.B. DuBois and John L. Lewis, well, the favorite son of this gritty, old steel town would be the candidate for me.

Why?

Because Dennis (and in this city, he'll never be known by any other name) carries the distilled essence of what the Democratic Party used to be about, and in which most rank-and-file members, down deep in their hearts, still believe.

" Persuaded that, however much they agree with his platform, Dennis can win neither the nomination nor the presidency, they will treat their vote like a $2 bet at Thistledown: They'll plunk it down on an odds-makers favorite, regardless of how his voting record may conflict with creating the kind of America these Democrats want to see.

For too many voters of both major parties, backing the winning "horse" trumps every other consideration. That's the short-sighted tragedy of politics today.

And that's part of the reason that so many citizens are so disenchanted with the major parties. They've too often compromised their principles for pragmatism, then were shocked when the people they had helped elect didn't govern as they had hoped they might"...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 11:24 PM

 
Democrats vs. Bush on Medicare drug plans

By LEE BOWMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
February 20, 2004

- The new Medicare prescription drug law specifically bars the federal government from negotiating lower drug prices for seniors, relying instead on private drug plans to strike deals with pharmaceutical companies for the drugs they will provide to seniors.

It is a "noninterference clause" that President Bush supports, arguing along with most Republicans that private competition will do a better job of holding down drug costs to Medicare than government "price fixing."

"I think we've got it right in the bill language we have," Senate Republican leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said on banning the federal government from negotiating bulk purchases. "Competition is better over time than price fixing."

But Democrats - including presidential contenders -are making pointed arguments that the government needs to use the bargaining power of 41 million Medicare beneficiaries to make drug benefits affordable...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 11:19 PM

 
Candidates Kucinich, Edwards visiting Minnesota this weekend
Associated Press

Published February 20, 2004

DEM21

Minnesota is starting to draw some Democratic presidential candidates as the state's precinct caucuses approach...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 11:11 PM

 
HAWAII
Dean, Kucinich could be factors in island's caucuses

By Rita Beamish, Globe Correspondent, 2/20/2004

HONOLULU -- You could call this the un-Iowa. With its Democratic presidential caucuses coming up Tuesday, Hawaii has none of the electoral fanfare and frenzied politicking that marked the contests in Iowa and elsewhere...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 11:05 PM

 
S.J. students choose Kucinich

Friday, February 20, 2004

Moorestown Friends School holds all-day mock Democratic primary

By MATT KATZ
Courier-Post Staff
MOORESTOWN

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich will face President Bush in November, U.S. troops will pull out of Iraq, and the Patriot Act is no more.

That is what America would look like if the students and faculty of Moorestown Friends School had their way.

The private Quaker school held an all-day mock primary Thursday featuring commercials, campaigning and a lot of cajoling.

"Vote Kucinich! Vote peace!" Richard Rinaldi yelled to his fellow eighth-graders outside the convention hall, which was shrouded in red, white and blue...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:59 PM

 
Edwards wants Sharpton, Kucinich out of debate


By Brian DeBose
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


Since former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean ended his presidential run, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina sees only two viable Democratic Party candidates and wants at least one debate without the Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:38 PM

 
Kerry, Kucinich, Edwards Bringing Campaigns to Ohio

You can tell it's getting close to primary election time in Ohio.

http://www.wtrf.com/home/headlines/638757.html
- posted by Daniel @ 10:36 PM

 
Presidential Candidate Kucinich Speaks At UD

POSTED: 9:39 am EST February 18, 2004
UPDATED: 2:16 pm EST February 18, 2004
DAYTON, Ohio -- Dennis Kucinich, who is seeking the Democratic party's nomination for President, spoke Wednesday afternoon at the University of Dayton...(Full Sory)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:29 PM

 
Kerry Visits Ohio, Kucinich Hits Cincinnati
Candidates Continue Campaigning
DAYTON, Ohio -- Democratic presidential hopefuls John Kerry and Dennis Kucinich visited Dayton Wednesday, and Kucinich took his campaign a step further in Cincinnati later.

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:24 PM

 
Kucinich makes case to enthused crowds
He's in nomination race to end, he says

By Jim Bebbington
Dayton Daily News
Thursday, February 19, 2004

DAYTON -- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich vowed to stay in the campaign for president until next summer's Democratic convention and told Dayton-area voters Wednesday he is the only realistic opponent to Republican President Bush.

Kucinich, a four-term congressman and former Cleveland mayor, is only slightly daunted by having finished no higher than a distant third in the 16 Democratic primaries and caucuses held so far....(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:22 PM

 
Posted on Thu, Feb. 19, 2004

Edwards, Kucinich to visit state Saturday

BY BILL SALISBURY

Pioneer Press

Fresh from his surprisingly strong showing in the Wisconsin primary Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will make his first campaign visit to St. Paul on Saturday.

The North Carolina senator will address a 3:30 p.m. rally at the Carpenters Union Hall, 700 Olive St., his campaign announced Wednesday. Edwards will attend a fund-raising reception immediately after the rally.

Edwards finished a close second to John Kerry in the Wisconsin primary.

Kerry and Edward's tight finish guarantees the race will still be on for the March 2 Super Tuesday showdown in Minnesota and nine other states. The Wisconsin results allayed Minnesota Democrats' fear that the race would be over before they cast votes at the precinct caucuses.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who finished a distant fourth in the Wisconsin race, also visits Minnesota on Saturday. He is scheduled to speak at 9:45 p.m. at a Blue-Green Alliance meeting at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 789 hall in South St. Paul, address rallies at Carleton College in Northfield at 1 p.m. and the University of Minnesota at 3 p.m. and deliver the keynote address at a National Lawyers Guild banquet at 6 p.m. ...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:20 PM

 
Kucinich not ready to quit

By Kevin Eigelbach
Post staff reporter

The race for the Democratic presidential nomination has become like the television program "Survivor," candidate Dennis Kucinich said on Wednesday.

Appearing before a crowd of about 40 in Over-the-Rhine, Kucinich said he's not going to vote himself off the island, however.

"I'm not leaving," the congressman from Cleveland said.

"The trees on that island will leave before I will."

Earlier on Wednesday, former Vermont governor Howard Dean dropped out of the race, leaving three candidates besides Kucinich -- Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

In the race so far, Kucinich has run a distant third to Kerry and Edwards. But his left-of-center message resonated with the audience at Buddy's Place.

Applause greeted his call for a nonprofit health-care system with a 100 percent prescription drug benefit. He called it a defining moral issue for the country...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:18 PM

 
Bruin devoted to Kucinich even if polls aren’t
Student admires candidate, aids campaign as research assistant

By Nancy Su
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
nsu@media.ucla.edu

Jane Shevtsov understands that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has almost no chance of winning.

Yet the third-year ecology, behavior and evolution student feels an obligation to dedicate her time to being a research assistant on national issues for the Kucinich campaign.

Moving about campus with a Kucinich sticker proudly displayed among several environmental and anti-war stickers on the back of her wheelchair, Shevtsov said she supports Kucinich because he is the candidate with ideas most like her own.

Kucinich's platforms include expanding health care, funding for education, social security benefits and environmental laws, as well as an ardent anti-war stance...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:10 PM

 
Sending a Progressive Message to the Democratic Convention
By Stephen Dinan

OpEdNews.com
For months, I have been sending out articles addressing the psychology of the Democratic campaign, attempting to shift the beliefs that people have around the electability of Dennis Kucinich. Some of these were provocative. Others were intended to inspire. But all were grounded in a fundamental challenge to the notion that Kucinich was not electable.

Today, I will write from the opposite premise, assuming that most people are right for a moment: Kucinich is not electable this year, even if we love him and what he stands for. Where do we go from there?
(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 9:53 PM

 
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Great Lakes News: 20 February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

$1M pledged to 're-green'
----------------------------------------
A provincial pledge from Ontario to replace $1-million worth of bug-eaten
trees isn't nearly enough to cover ash losses, but it may help pressure the
federal government to come up with its own compensation package. Source:
The London Free Press (2/20)


Lakeshore wetlands, woods given to NY
----------------------------------------
New York announced its latest acquisition of ecologically valuable 40 acres
of wetlands and upland hardwoods, including a rare 1,400 feet of undeveloped
shoreline along Lake Ontario. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
(2/20)


Ferry to fly Bahamas flag
----------------------------------------
The Spirit of Ontario will sail between the United States and Canada, but
will permanently fly the flag of the Bahamas from its stern to reflect is
place of registration. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (2/20)


Electricity watchdog warns utilities
----------------------------------------
The leading electricity industry group is predicting power lines around the
Great Lakes will jam up this summer, which could lead to blackouts if
utilities and other systems operators don't shape up. Source: The Akron
Beacon Journal (2/20)


Sierra Club increasing efforts on clean air, water for Ohio families
----------------------------------------
The Sierra Club is doubling its efforts and staff in Ohio in an effort to
push issues concerning open space and air and water pollution. Source: The
Plain Dealer (2/20)


Gaz Métro seeks site for terminal
----------------------------------------
Gaz Métro, the province's biggest natural-gas distributor, said it is closer
to finalizing plans for a liquefied natural-gas terminal and processing
plant in Québec. Source: The Montreal Gazette (2/20)


A river runs through city, along with a warning
----------------------------------------
As the Chicago River becomes an urban water park for canoes, gondolas and
Jet Skis, local and state officials are realizing that dramatic improvements
in water quality during the past two decades might not be good enough.
Source: Chicago Tribune (2/19)


Still ruling the waves: Michigan debunks California claim as top boating
state
----------------------------------------
California handily beats Michigan when it comes to wine production and
Tinseltown glitz, but when it comes to boating, the Great Lakes State is
still admiral of the high seas. Source: The Grand Rapids Press (2/19)


Power plant draws ire of locals
----------------------------------------
Some officials in the Lake Michigan community of Manistee are asking new,
more pointed questions about a proposed coal-burning power plant. Source:
Traverse City Record-Eagle (2/19)


Creek cleaners aim for fall start
----------------------------------------
Plans call for excavating equipment to begin dredging contaminated sediment
from Ruddiman Lagoon, one of Muskegon's most polluted waterways, as early as
this fall. Source: Muskegon Chronicle (2/19)


Federal Agents To Patrol Lake Ontario
----------------------------------------
While customs agents check every car that crosses the US-Canadian border,
there hasn't been any real security in place to check boaters who are
crossing the border over the lake. Source: WOKR-TV 13 (2/17)

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archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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Great Lakes News: February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Great Lakes Restoration Planning Workshops
http://www.glc.org/restwkshp/
Great Lakes Commission (2004-02-20)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
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Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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Great Lakes News: 19 February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Duluth requests money to keep sewage out of Lake Superior
----------------------------------------
Improving and protecting Wisconsin's water quality was the theme at the
Capitol on Wednesday as a coalition of Minnesota environmental groups
launched a campaign making water issues a priority for lawmakers in 2004.
Source: Duluth News Tribune (2/19)


Activists fault rainwater-sewage treatment
----------------------------------------
The environmental group Clean Water Action will release a report today
opposing the polluting of water through the "blending" of sewage with
rainwater. Source: The Detroit News (2/19)


Grand Cal dredging project details aired
----------------------------------------
During a meeting Wednesday night about the Grand Calumet River cleanup,
state, U.S. Steel representatives and hired consultants hammered out details
of the Grand Calumet River dredging project. Source: Merrillville
Post-Tribune (2/19)


Seagull feces, human waste mar Lake Michigan waters
----------------------------------------
A study released Monday found that seagull feces and human waste are the two
most predominant sources of E. coli contamination in Lake Michigan. Source:
Highland Park News (2/19)


Ship in sick bay
----------------------------------------
The Presque Isle has been docked at the east bayfront terminal for almost a
month as about 30 workers feverishly work against a March 25 deadline to fix
the hulking vessel before it heads back to its homeport of Duluth, Minn.
Source: Erie Times-News (2/18)


Doan Brook plan incorporates park
----------------------------------------
A $5.5 million plan to restore Doan Brook has been altered to reduce the
impact on historical and cultural resources in Rockefeller Park in
Cleveland. Source: The Plain Dealer (2/18)


Rotary donates $1 million to Northwestern Michigan College
----------------------------------------
A $1 million grant from Rotary Charities is headed to Northwestern Michigan
College's new Great Lakes campus and water studies institute. Source:
Traverse City Record Eagle (2/18)


COMMENTARY: Gov'ts must continue fight against 'dirty dozen' pollutants
----------------------------------------
Despite the success in curbing emissions, the 12 persistent organic
pollutants (POPs) on the IJC hit-list are still in the watershed. Source:
The Medical Post (2/17)


Nesting season is under way
----------------------------------------
Six pairs of bald eagles have already begun incubating eggs in three Ohio
counties along Lake Erie indicating that the 2004 nesting season is
underway, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of
Wildlife. Source: The News-Messenger (2/17)


Hunters push forward with rights amendment
----------------------------------------
Hunters in Pennsylvania are moving forward with a proposed amendment to the
state constitution that would guarantee the "right of the people to hunt and
fish." Source: Erie Times-News (2/16)

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Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Leading Great Lakes citizens' groups call on Administration to drop
http://www.lakemichigan.org/news/sewage_policy.asp
Source: Lake Michigan Federation (2004-02-19)

IJC commends IMO for Global Ballast Water Convention
http://www.ijc.org/rel/news/040218_e.htm
Source: International Joint Commission (2004-02-18)

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Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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Great Lakes Day in Washington - March 3 - Register now!
http://www.glc.org/greatlakesday/
Source: Great Lakes Commission (2004-02-19)

IJC releases report on air quality in Michigan and Ontario regional areas
http://www.ijc.org/rel/news/040217_e.htm
Source: International Joint Commission (2004-02-18)

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archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 9:41 PM

 
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-edwards20feb20,1,2443374.story?coll=la-home-politics

THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Edwards Eager to Debate Rival Kerry
He believes he can take the lead by engaging the front-runner in the race for the nomination.

** NOTE from Dan ** It is looking as if the debate will be inclusive of Dennis and Al Sharpton - see the article

- posted by Daniel @ 5:34 PM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 02/20/2004

Can zoos save species without saving habitat?
Visitors to America's zoos and circuses are regularly informed, via signs and announcements, that these institutions are working overtime on behalf of endangered species. Indeed, you can visit critically endangered animals in theme parks all across the country.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_12997.asp

Australia wrestles with crocodile safari hunting
With the unlikely name of Sweetheart, the 17-foot-long crocodile terrorized fishers in far north Australia for years, regularly capsizing motor boats because the noise annoyed him.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13306.asp

Japanese love fish too much for fragile stocks
A full moon hangs low in the predawn Tokyo sky as the tuna auction gets under way.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13310.asp

Chemical research on humans is approved to the dismay of environmentalists
Environmental groups responded with dismay Thursday to a report from a panel of government advisers that says it might be OK to test pesticides on people if the strictest care is taken.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13311.asp

Utilities to release cost information for future environment rules
American Electric Power and Cinergy Corp. agreed to environmentalist and shareholder demands to release pollution-reduction plans and cost estimates for complying with anticipated federal emissions regulations.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13313.asp

E.U.'s top environment official says differences with U.S. over biotech crops will persist
The dispute between the United States and the European Union about the safety of genetically modified food is not going away any time soon and will likely widen into a global debate, the E.U.'s top environment official said Thursday.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13317.asp

Obesity can't be solved at the individual level
Canada's Heart and Stroke Foundation recently warned that "fat is the new tobacco," a catchy way of saying something that health experts have been warning us about for years: Obesity is killing us.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13262.asp

Seven communities to receive U.N. prizes for fighting poverty, conserving environment
Seven tropical communities from around the world have been awarded prizes for their work to reduce poverty while conserving biological wealth, the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) announced on Thursday.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13314.asp

Australia battles locust swarms after drought
A massive outbreak of crop-eating locusts has been triggered by heavy rains that broke the worst Australian drought in a century to generate record crops and flood parts of the outback. It is the worst outbreak since up to 100 billion of the pests were spawned in December 2000.
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13304.asp

Nations pledge to do more to stop extinctions at biodiversity conference in Malaysia
Top environment officials from 100 countries vowed Thursday to curb the extinctions by 2010, warning that human activity is causing the planet's diversity of life to be "lost an at unprecedented rate."
http://www.enn.com/news/20-02-2004/s_13316.asp

Environmental Marketplace Update (Become a Member)

We'd like to encourage you to visit our Environmental Marketplace where you'll learn about some amazing environmentally-focused businesses. A few examples:

A Happy Planet, San Francisco's original and oldest natural fiber home furnishing's company. They are opening a new organic bedding showroom to let customers try organic mattresses, pillows, comforters, toppers and other chemical-free bedding accessories. Read their story

Island Press, demonstrating how new ideas and new thinking can unleash solutions to environmental problems. They have just published a new book entitled "Politics, Pollution, and Pandas: An Environmental Memoir" written by Russell Train, the first of the EPA's nine administrators to publish a candid memoir about the EPA. Read the story

Global Exchange Online Fair Trade Store markets fairly-traded products. Did you know that America is the world's largest chocolate consumer, and in 2000 alone, they consumed 3.3 billion pounds of chocolate? Read more about fair trade chocolate

Vegancats.com, dedicated to the principle that the lives of all animals have inherent value. Their article antitled "Mad Cat Disease?" sheds light on mad cow disease and our pet food supply. Read the article

Message!Products, helping to fund important animal, environmental, and social organizations. Learn how you can make a difference


Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

The Trust for Public Land:
Hassanamesitt Woods Protection Moves Forward (MA)

Earth Policy Institute:
U.S. Leading World Away From Cigarettes

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:
Extension of Dual-Fuel Loophole to Increase Oil Consumption by 40-100 Million Barrels over Next Four Years

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable:
White Paper on Pollution Prevention and Homeland Security Released

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable:
NEAS Early Registration Deadline on Friday

WWF-US Communications:
Landmark Toxics Treaty to Become Law

United Nations Environment Programme:
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to enter into force on 17 May 2004

American Rivers:
NEWS: Lower Columbia River communities, elected officials, to hold River Summit

Rainforest Action Network:
Wake Up Weyerhaeuser. Protect Forests Now.

The Trust for Public Land:
$4M Grant Approved for Ellwood Mesa (CA)

The Trust for Public Land:
Agreement Would Protect Hilltop Land (MA)

- posted by Daniel @ 5:22 PM

 
The Great Lakes Directory (http://www.GreatLakesDirectory.org) is a comprehensive online resource highlighting environmental issues around the Great Lakes basin. The Directory contains daily environmental articles, a network of over 1,000 environmental groups, funding resources, free environmental software, nonprofit management resources, and a massive library of online Great Lakes environmental information.

Here are your weekly Great Lakes environmental jobs, events and news headlines from the Great Lakes Directoy. More headlines, action alerts, resources, grants, jobs, and free activist software at http://www.GreatLakesDirectory.org

From Jenny Tahtinen of the Environmental Association of Great Lakes Education (EAGLE).
http://www.Eagle-EcoSource.org

Check out the Great Lakes Directory's Issue Pages for information on your environmental concerns!
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org

How many children do you know who have asthma, learning disabilities, cancer or allergies?

The numbers of children with these health problems are increasing at an alarming rate. Research is showing that these increases are due in part to children's exposures to chemicals in the their environment and food.

The Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education (EAGLE) is seeking people interested in learning more about this important issue to be trained to educate communities throughout northern MN over the next year. A stipend will be paid for each session that you teach.
Please attend a free training session entitled: Protecting Children From Environmental Health Risks on March 6 from 1-4 at the Dewitt-Seitz Building in Duluth, Minnesota. For more information and to register, contact Janelle Sorensen, 612-722-5355, Janelle@EAGLE-EcoSource.org.

THIS WEEK'S GREAT LAKES HEADLINES:

02/19 - $1 million grant given to support freshwater studies
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/mi/021904__great_lakes.htm

02/19 - Power plant draws ire of locals in Michigan
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/mi/021904_great_lakes.htm

02/19 - Lake Forest Beach to be tested for E. coli contamination
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/il/021904_great_lakes.htm

02/18 - Zebra mussels found in seven more Michigan lakes in 2003
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/mi/021804_great_lakes.htm

02/18 - Nobody owns up to mystery spill in Ontario
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/on/021804_great_lakes.htm

02/18 - Comments requested for Clean Air Act changes by March 30
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/wi/021804_great_lakes.htm

02/17 - Clean Water: Fund program to fix MN septic systems
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/mn/021704_great_lakes.htm

02/17 - Cuts leave pollution program 'a paper tiger'
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/wi/021704_great_lakes.htm

02/16 - Great Lakes groups oppose EPA policy
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/in/021604_great_lakes.htm

02/16 - MI sacrifices 12 million ash trees to contain exotic beetle
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/mi/021604_great_lakes.htm

02/16 - Seagull droppings top source of beach bacteria, study finds
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/il/021604_great_lakes.htm

02/14 - Great Lakes United Habitat Watch #291
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/ny/021404_great_lakes.htm

02/13 - Open border to cattle, states and provinces urge
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/on/021304_great_lakes.htm

02/13 - Chicago harbor cleanup elusive
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/on/021304_great_lakes.htm

02/12 - Democrats address Clean Water Act, fault Bush's plan
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/wi/021403_environemental_job.htm

02/12 - Taft expresses concern about dredging plan
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/oh/021204_great_lakes.htm

02/12 - Proposed federal budget includes Great Lakes funds
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/il/021204_great_lakes.htm

For more information, go to http://www.GreatLakesDirectory.org

GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL JOBS:
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/jobs.htm

GREAT LAKES ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS:
http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/events.htm
To subscribe and receive Great Lakes environmental news, action alerts, jobs and events in your email once a week: http://www.GreatLakesDirectory.org

-----------------------------------------------
Jenny Tahtinen-
Great Lakes Directory / EAGLE
394 Lake Avenue South, Suite #222
Duluth, MN 55802
Phone:(218)726-1828
fax:(240)526-2670
Jenny@EAGLE-EcoSource.org
- posted by Daniel @ 4:56 PM

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITIZENS FOR LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT (www.legitgov.org) Launches B.Y.O.B., Bring Your Own (paper) Ballot, Campaign for “Election” 2004

Pittsburgh, PA; New York, NY; Bristol, CT: Feb. 7, 2004

CONTACT: Michael Rectenwald and Lori Price, clg_news@legitgov.org

CLG Founder and Honorary Chair, Michael D. Rectenwald, announced the CLG's inauguration of the B.Y.O.B., Bring Your Own (paper) Ballot, campaign. The group calls for voters in the 2004 presidential contest to print, fill-out, and notarize their own copy of the CLG paper ballot receipt, as a safeguard against known flaws and vulnerabilities of touch-screen voting and the recent history of discarding votes and overthrowing election results.

With the ruling against paper voting trails in touch-and-go touch-screen states like Florida, the coming national Presidential “election” for 2004 is in jeopardy. Touch-screen voting is notorious for many flaws and software vulnerabilities. Furthermore, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, Wally O’Dell, the CEO of Diebold, one of the leading suppliers of touch-screen voting machines, has pledged his support of G.W. Bush, held fund-raisers, and contributed greatly to his re-selection campaign.

Since America cannot afford a repeat of coup 2000, the CLG is designing a paper ballot receipt, and calling for all voters, of whatever political persuasion, to print and bring their own paper ballot receipts with them to the polls, and to retain them for verification purposes.

The CLG has begun the design of such a paper ballot receipt and will have it ready when the Democratic nominee and other candidates are in place. “It’s a sad statement for American electoral politics that we have to ask citizens to bring their own ballots to verify their votes, but given the abysmal history of this nation in discarding the democratic elections process, we feel such an action is in order,” said Lori Price, CLG General Manager.

The CLG is an admittedly anti-Bush group: "The Bush coup has eventuated a continuous onslaught of anti-democratic, anti-worker, anti-women, anti-majority, anti-environmental, anti-other-than-Big Business policies that have gravely eroded our personal rights, handed the nation's treasury over to Bush-friendly looters, ruined our economy, run up deficits, turned the US into imperialist conquistadors in Afghanistan and Iraq, rejected the world criminal court and the Kyoto protocol, and gravely injured our moral and political standing in the court of world opinion,” said Rectenwald. “But our main objective is a fair and legitimate election of a legitimate President.”

More information on the group's activities can be found on their website at www.legitgov.org.

CLG newsletter: signup@legitgov.org

You may view this press release at: http://www.legitgov.org/pressrelease_bring_your_own_ballot_020704.html

Bring Your Own Ballot Copyright © 2004, Citizens For Legitimate Government. All rights reserved.
- posted by Daniel @ 11:43 PM

 
Q & A with Dennis Kucinich
Fighting for recognition, finding an audience by Bill Frogameni

In 1977, 31-year-old Dennis Kucinich was elected the mayor of Cleveland. He was voted out after one term because he refused to sell the municipal power company to banking interests which, in turn, cut the city’s credit. His refusal to sell ultimately saved Cleveland hundreds of millions. With the new popularity this earned him in the ‘90s, Kucinich was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. An unapologetic progressive, the Ohio congressman is perhaps the least visible of the remaining Democratic presidential contenders; however, his usual 1 percent of the vote recently increased to around 16 percent in Maine and 8 percent in Washington state. Most Toledoans know Kucinich as a strong critic of NAFTA and the Davis-Besse nuclear plant. Kucinich is the consummate outsider, but his tireless struggling is affecting the presidential race as we look forward to the Ohio primary on March 2.

Toledo City Paper: Your campaign’s been picking up. Do you think you have a chance of winning the nomination or are you hoping to force a brokered convention (one in which no candidate has enough delegates to claim the nomination, forcing the candidates to negotiate)?
Dennis Kucinich: (Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 5:48 PM

 
Kucinich makes case to enthused crowds
He's in nomination race to end, he says

By Jim Bebbington
Dayton Daily News
Thursday, February 19, 2004

DAYTON -- U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich vowed to stay in the campaign for president until next summer's Democratic convention and told Dayton-area voters Wednesday he is the only realistic opponent to Republican President Bush.

Kucinich, a four-term congressman and former Cleveland mayor, is only slightly daunted by having finished no higher than a distant third in the 16 Democratic primaries and caucuses held so far. To have some leverage during the convention, he said he must...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 5:45 PM

 
Kucinich: I could still be the nominee

By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

OVER-THE-RHINE - On the same day Howard Dean ended his Democratic presidential campaign, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich - regarded by most political pundits as a long shot - vowed to stay in the race until the finish.

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 5:42 PM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 02/19/2004

The butterfly of utter blackness and other stories
A common Australian butterfly can literally trap light in its wings. Its sophisticated methods are now starting to be used by human engineers to make blacker-than-black colors, scientists report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_12836.asp

Bush administration "distorts science," says report
Top scientists and environmentalists accused the Bush administration Wednesday of suppressing and distorting scientific findings that run counter to its own policies.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13266.asp

Kerry hailed as ally of the wider world on environment
Environmentalists fete John Kerry as a possible savior in a stalled battle against global warming if the Democratic front-runner topples U.S. President George W. Bush in the November election.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13269.asp

Yucca Mountain could leak nuclear waste, says scientist
The U.S. nuclear waste dump proposed for Nevada is poorly designed and could leak highly radioactive waste, said a scientist who recently resigned from a federal panel of experts on Yucca Mountain. Paul Craig, a physicist and engineering professor at the University of California-Davis, said Wednesday that he quit the panel last month so he could speak more freely about the waste dump's dangers.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13273.asp

California marine preserve remains off-limits to fishing
A judicial panel has rejected an attempt by the fishing industry to reopen waters around California's Channel Islands that were designated last year as one of the largest no-fishing zones in the country.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13272.asp

Rich countries must stump up for life on Earth, says Malaysia
Rich countries looking to stem the loss of plants and animals on Earth and to profit from their genes must stump up the money, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said on Wednesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13267.asp

U.S. extends carmakers' alternative fuel incentive
The Bush administration extended a controversial incentive Wednesday for automakers to produce vehicles that can burn either gasoline or alternative fuels.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13268.asp

Swiss study predicts scorching European summers
The heat wave that killed more than 10,000 people across Europe last summer is only a taste of things to come as the planet becomes steadily warmer, a Swiss expert predicted this week.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13271.asp

South Africa's badlands get a touch of green
South Africa's Cape Flats area is awash with drugs and violent gangs, but amid the despair is a window into the dusty landscape's former ecological glory.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13265.asp

Environmental Marketplace Update (Become a Member)

We'd like to encourage you to visit our Environmental Marketplace where you'll learn about some amazing environmentally-focused businesses. A few examples:

A Happy Planet, San Francisco's original and oldest natural fiber home furnishing's company. They are opening a new organic bedding showroom to let customers try organic mattresses, pillows, comforters, toppers and other chemical-free bedding accessories. Read their story

Island Press, demonstrating how new ideas and new thinking can unleash solutions to environmental problems. They have just published a new book entitled "Politics, Pollution, and Pandas: An Environmental Memoir" written by Russell Train, the first of the EPA's nine administrators to publish a candid memoir about the EPA. Read the story

Global Exchange Online Fair Trade Store markets fairly-traded products. Did you know that America is the world's largest chocolate consumer, and in 2000 alone, they consumed 3.3 billion pounds of chocolate? Read more about fair trade chocolate

Vegancats.com, dedicated to the principle that the lives of all animals have inherent value. Their article antitled "Mad Cat Disease?" sheds light on mad cow disease and our pet food supply. Read the article

Message!Products, helping to fund important animal, environmental, and social organizations. Learn how you can make a difference


Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

The Heinz Center:
HEINZ CENTER ELECTS R. PHILIP HANES, JR., TO BOARD

California Certified Organic Farmers:
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Foundation Helps Farmers "Going Organic"

World Society for the Protection of Animals:
Concerns grow over animals buried alive in mass graves

WWF-US Communications:
Indonesia to Protect Top Nesting Site for Critically Endangered Turtles

World Society for the Protection of Animals:
First of infamous Japanese bear parks to close in victory for animal groups

World Society for the Protection of Animals:
Bear rehabilitation proves effective

United Nations Environment Programme:
UNEP-WCMC Mapping Tool To Shed Light on World's Marine Turtles

The Trust for Public Land:
Hassanamesitt Woods Protection Moves Forward (MA)

WWF-US Communications:
Landmark Toxics Treaty to Become Law

Earth Policy Institute:
U.S. Leading World Away From Cigarettes

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:
Extension of Dual-Fuel Loophole to Increase Oil Consumption by 40-100 Million Barrels over Next Four Years

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable:
White Paper on Pollution Prevention and Homeland Security Released

United Nations Environment Programme:
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to enter into force on 17 May 2004

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable:
NEAS Early Registration Deadline on Friday
- posted by Daniel @ 9:04 AM

 
Underdog Dennis Kucinich brings his message to area
By JERRY GAULDING, News-Sun Assistant City Editor

YELLOW SPRINGS — "What better place than Yellow Springs to talk about a new message?"

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich made two stops Wednesday in this historic village, bringing his presidential campaign themes of peace and love to a {M6highly appreciative crowd of almost 200 supporters in front of the Epic Book Store and then addressing an assembly at Yellow Springs High School.

He also visited Dayton

The Cleveland Democrat is trying to stir up a big turnout in the March 2 Ohio presidential primary and create an upset that would remake the Democratic nomination landscape.

"Is Kucinich electable?" he asked the crowd at the bookstore. "I am if you vote for me."

The "new message" Kucinich hopes to send is for "a new role for America in the world,"...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 8:47 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0204-11.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 4, 2004
12:14 PM
CONTACT: People For the American Way
Laurie Boeder 202-467-4999
Carrie Boron 202-822-6070
Michelle Woolley 202-263-2881
Evelyn Becker 202.973.3020
Greg Moore, 202-898-0969
Kerri Glover, 202-547-1141
Mark Sokolove, 202-454-4573
Colleen McCabe, 212-261-4729


Public Interest Groups Challenge FEC Threat to Public Debate


WASHINGTON - February 4 - An unprecedented collection of 324 national, state, and local environmental, civil rights, civil liberties, women's rights, public health, social welfare, senior, religious, and social justice organizations today urged the Federal Election Commission to reject an FEC General Counsel draft advisory opinion that could severely restrict the ability of nonprofit organizations to communicate with the public about important policy issues. The FEC is scheduled to consider the opinion at its meeting this Thursday, February 5. (For a copy of the letter and the draft advisory opinion, see www.pfaw.org/go/FEC_Advisory_Opinion.)

It could be virtually impossible for groups other than federal PACs to criticize or commend members of Congress or President Bush for anything they say or do if the commissioners approve the draft opinion's assertion that any communication that "promotes, supports, attacks, or opposes" any federal candidate must be paid for using funds raised under the restrictions of the federal election laws. According to the organizations' letter of concern, the draft advisory opinion could allow the FEC to regulate and potentially stifle debate on public policy issues, granting the agency a level of power that far exceeds the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) as well as the express advocacy test upheld by the Supreme Court.

For example, the opinion, as drafted, could put unprecedented restrictions on spending for:

o A web site that criticizes funding cuts contained in the budget recently transmitted to Congress by President Bush;

o An awards dinner honoring Senator Feingold for his support of campaign finance reform;

o A newsletter article that lists members of Congress who have co-sponsored legislation supported by an organization;

o A fundraising appeal from organizations that seeks to oppose Bush administration policies toward the environment.

"Making it unlawful to criticize the policies and actions of a sitting President or Members of Congress except under the auspices of a registered political committee is one of the most fundamental attacks on the freedom of speech and freedom of association of American citizens ever contemplated by a government agency," says the public interest organizations' comments.

Alarmed by the draft opinion's far-reaching potential to limit public debate on issues, restrict the ability of advocacy organizations to criticize public officials, undermine voter registration activities, and severely limit charitable groups' fundraising activities, the public interest organizations "urge the Commission, with the greatest sense of urgency and in the strongest terms possible, not to issue the draft opinion in its present form."

Attorneys available for comment:

Mike Trister and Holly Schadler, Lichtman, Trister & Ross, 202-328-1666

Gail Harmon and Elizabeth Kingsley, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP, 202-328-3500

Organization media contacts:

People For the American Way: Laurie Boeder 202-467-4999

Alliance for Justice: Carrie Boron 202-822-6070

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights: Michelle Woolley 202-263-2881

NARAL Pro-choice America: Evelyn Becker 202.973.3020

NAACP National Voter Fund: Greg Moore, 202-898-0969

Sierra Club: Kerri Glover, 202-547-1141

League of Conservation Voters: Mark Sokolove, 202-454-4573

Planned Parenthood Federation of America: Colleen McCabe, 212-261-4729

###
- posted by Daniel @ 3:36 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0204-12.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 4, 2004
3:36 PM
CONTACT: Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Nancy Talanian 413-582-0110

New York City Joins 250 Communities Upholding Civil Rights and Liberties, Denouncing Parts of Patriot Act


WASHINGTON - February 4 - Today the Council of the City of New York approved a resolution denouncing parts of the Patriot Act and affirming that “security measures [must] enhance the public safety without impairing constitutional rights or infringing on civil liberties.” The resolution makes New York the 251st ‘civil liberties safe zone,’ and raises the zones’ population to 43 million nationwide, according to the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, which tracks the movement and encourages communities to join in a national debate on these issues. Four of the country’s five most populous cities—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia—are now ‘safe zones,’ along with the states of Alaska, Hawaii, and Vermont.

Nancy Talanian, BORDC’s director, says, “Our country is indebted to New York’s City Council for demonstrating true patriotism by courageously upholding the Bill of Rights. Their vote sends a strong message to Washington and our whole nation that the tragic attacks of September 11th were not a signal for the United States to abandon the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.”

The groundswell of support for amending the Patriot Act received two major boosts last week. On Monday, federal judge Audrey Collins handed down a ruling that part of the Act is unconstitutional. On Tuesday, one of the Act’s leading authors, Georgetown Law Professor Viet Dinh, said that he supports modifications.

Nevertheless, the Bush Administration remains staunchly opposed to any amendments. Last Wednesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch regarding S.1709, the Security and Freedom Ensured Act of 2003 (SAFE Act), which is among several congressional initiatives to amend the Patriot Act that has bipartisan support. The letter urges the Senate to vote against the SAFE Act and warns that “if S.1709 is presented in its current form to the President, the President’s senior advisors will recommend that it be vetoed.”

New York’s resolution recognizes the city’s diversity and denounces policies that target city residents “who appear to be Arab, Muslim or of South Asian descent.” The council opposes federal requests requiring city agencies to violate federal or state laws, including the United States Constitution.

The New York City Bill of Rights Defense Campaign began as a small group in Brooklyn and grew to a citywide nonpartisan coalition of 92 member groups and hundreds of members, according to Glenn C. Devitt, the Campaign’s Chair. A majority of the city’s representatives in Congress signed a letter urging Council Speaker Gifford Miller to support the resolution.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 3:30 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0204-14.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 4, 2004
6:11 PM
CONTACT: Human Rights Watch
Newsroom: 212-290-4700

U.S.: Budget Proposal Shortchanges Labor Rights


NEW YORK - February 4 - The Bush administration's budget proposal slashed funding for programs designed to promote workers' human rights in developing countries, Human Rights Watch said today.

U.S. President George W. Bush's proposed budget would endanger labor rights monitoring and enforcement, programs to eliminate child labor, worker education projects and workplace HIV/AIDS initiatives around the world.

The budget would also undercut the Bush administration's promise to promote workers' rights under the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The Bush administration has stated that its "strategy on worker rights" in CAFTA would "establish a cooperative program to improve labor laws and enforcement and build the capacity of Central American nations to monitor and enforce labor rights."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, however, the budget for fiscal year 2005 proposes only $18 million for international labor rights programs, an 82 percent drop from the $99.5 million Congress appropriated for the current fiscal year.

"The Bush administration tries to talk a good game on protecting workers' human rights," said Carol Pier, labor rights and trade researcher for Human Rights Watch. "But the paltry sum it seeks for international labor rights programs tells a different story."

CAFTA, whose text was made public on January 28, was recently negotiated among the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It has yet to come to a vote in the countries' legislative branches.

If CAFTA passes, full funding of its "strategy on worker rights" would depend largely on the U.S. Congress's willingness to transfer money from elsewhere in the 2005 budget. The recently awarded U.S. grant of $6.75 million to strengthen Central America's labor systems, or roughly $1.7 million a year for four years, hardly offsets the labor rights aid that Central American countries could lose under the proposed budget.

This is not the first time the Bush administration's budget proposals have shown a lack of commitment to strengthening workers' rights around the world. Last year, for example, its proposed 2004 budget sought only $12 million for the Department of Labor's international technical assistance programs. Congress, however, ultimately appropriated an additional $87.5 million. Nevertheless, the total $99.5 million reflected a 26 percent decrease from the 2003 budget. Moreover, it included a dramatic 93 percent decrease-from $37 million to $2.5 million-for bilateral and multilateral activities designed to help resource- strapped nations improve respect for a range of workers' human rights.

"The administration's budget proposal is just one more example of its willingness to shortchange workers' rights in its free trade strategy," said Pier. "Congress should reject such a cynical and shortsighted approach."

###
- posted by Daniel @ 3:24 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0205-07.htm

* JEANNETTE HASSBERG, warandlaw@yahoo.com, www.warandlaw.homestead.com
Hassberg works with the War and Law League which, with the San Francisco Examiner, has conducted a presidential candidate survey regarding war-making powers. While the Constitution gives to Congress the power to declare war, no war has been declared since World War II. Among the candidates responding: John Edwards and John Kerry say that a president may initiate military action. Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton say only Congress may make such a decision. Any presidential use of nuclear weapons is illegal according to Kucinich and Sharpton; the other candidates do not reject it under all circumstances. Only Kerry sees implicit authority for a president to end a treaty. Edwards and Kerry, who both voted for Congress's October 2002 resolution on the use of armed force against Iraq, believe that the invasion of Iraq has been lawful. Kucinich (who voted against it) and Sharpton disagree. Wesley Clark and Howard Dean did not respond. A number of legal scholars are available for interviews through the War and Law League.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 3:21 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0206-05.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 6, 2004
3:18 PM
CONTACT: Public Citizen
Newsroom: 202-588-7742

Public Citizen to Senate: Stop This Energy Bill Train Wreck


WASHINGTON - February 6 - Statement by Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen

Not content to allow a successfully filibustered energy bill to die a well-deserved death, U.S. Senate leaders are now considering resurrecting this atrocity from its grave and gluing the pork-laden bill to a transportation bill that is destined to pass in an election year when senators don’t want to be accused of failing to bring jobs and money to their states.

What we are seeing is the failure of our democratic system, thanks to the relentless force and influence of special interests. The energy industry has contributed more than $70 million to the campaigns of federal politicians since 2001, with nearly three-quarters of that amount going to Republicans, who control Congress. This process began when Vice President Dick Cheney’s Energy Task Force met in secret with corporate lobbyists; next came an energy conference hijacked by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), with virtually no input from the other members of the committee as the bill was rewritten and dollar giveaways enlarged. Worse still, members of Congress had little time to read all of the special interest provisions in the bill as it was rushed to votes in both chambers.

As we have urged before, lawmakers must acknowledge defeat of this monstrous energy bill and begin again with a clean slate – this time, without the input of an industry more interested in profits than in providing for our common future needs. Even this trimmed-down energy bill with no MTBE liability waiver is not worth passing. Instead, Congress should focus on creating an energy plan that reflects the needs of our country and our environment: clean, safe and affordable energy for every person.

If the energy and transportation bills go hand-in-hand for a vote, the special interests win, as each senator will have an interest in supporting some piece of the bill. Such maneuvering is a reckless act that threatens to derail the trust the public has in the lawmaking process. Anyone who is paying attention should be outraged.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 3:13 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0210-15.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 10, 2004
4:30 PM
CONTACT: Americans for Democratic Action
Don Kusler, 202-785-5980

Bush Wants Your Job Overseas


WASHINGTON - February 10 - When President Bush and his advisors released the White House's Annual Economic Report yesterday, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry said he feared the Administration's projections were crafted by the same people who provided "intelligence" on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"We fear the source may have been far less reliable and a lot more callous," said ADA national director Amy Isaacs. President Bush and the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisors show a total lack of understanding about the plight of America's workers and their families. To say that shipping jobs overseas is the 'latest manifestation of the gains from trade that economists have talked about' as Mr. Mankiw did, displays a blatant disregard for those who struggle daily to make ends meet.

Further, in order to meet the job creation predictions released yesterday, the economy would have to create approximately 400,000 jobs each month. That is a stark contrast to the 16,000 created in December or even the 116,000 created in January. "We fear that the President and his advisors have fallen down the rabbit hole directly into Wonderland," continued Isaacs. "President Bush is late for a very important date with American workers and he appears to be lacking both a calendar and a watch," she said.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 3:05 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0211-04.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 11, 2004
9:19 AM
CONTACT: TrueMajority.org
Tyler Prell or Jason Dring 202-518-8047

The Computer Ate My Vote
Citizens Call For Secure Electronic Voting System


WASHINGTON - February 11 - Citizens Call For Secure Electronic Voting System

What: Press conference launching grassroots campaign for Voter-Verified Paper Trails in U.S. Elections.

Who:
Ben Cohen, co-founder, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and president of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities and TrueMajority.org.
Dan Wallach, PhD, Rice University, computer security expert who has published 40 papers on the subject since 1995.

When: Tuesday, 17 February 2004, 11:00 AM EST

Where: In front of National Association of Secretaries of State annual conference,
Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 New Jersey Ave. NW
Washington, DC

To fulfill the mandates of the 2002 Help American Vote Act, many states are moving toward the purchase of computerized voting machines. These machines have proven to be vulnerable to tampering, viruses and power outages. TrueMajority is encouraging secretaries of state to use their authority to require computerized voting machines to produce paper records, to be verified by voters and kept for audits and dispute resolution.

Ben Cohen, president of TrueMajority, a online grassroots group of 400,000 Americans will announce the launch of a nationwide campaign to encourage the top election officer in each state to require computerized voting machines to provide voter-verified paper records of each vote, which can be used to ensure the accuracy of elections.

Ben will be joined by Dr. Dan Wallach, assistant professor of computer science at Rice University and an expert in computer security. Several secretaries of state have expressed an interest in joining the press conference.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 2:50 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0211-06.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 11, 2004
10:01 AM
CONTACT: Americans for Democratic Action
Don Kusler (202) 785-5980

ADA Supports New Civil Rights Act


WASHINGTON - February 11 - Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), the nation's oldest independent liberal organization, applauds Members of both the Senate and the House for the introduction of "FAIRNESS: The Civil Rights Act of 2004," designed to strengthen civil rights protections which recent decisions have weakened. Civil Rights laws, enacted over the last 40 years, were intended to help level the playing field in job opportunities, education, housing, voting and other areas of human endeavor. Recent court cases have undercut those protections in ways that Congress and the American people never expected.

This proposed bill addresses:

* Protection for Older Workers

* Under court decisions, many older workers have lost the right to bring suit under federal age discrimination law. This bill would ensure that older workers, who are victims of practices that have an unjustified discriminatory effect on the basis of age, can seek relief in court.

* Fair Treatment for Workers and the Military

* A State hospital nurses and other state workers have no federal remedy if their employers violate minimum wage and overtime laws. The bill confirms Congress' intent that millions of state employees have a remedy in court.

* Equal Pay for Equal Work

* This bill closes loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and makes it easier for a working woman to obtain relief when there is no legitimate reason for denying her the same pay as a male co-worker.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 2:47 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0218-05.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 18, 2004
1:13 PM
CONTACT: Local Power
Paul Fenn 510 451 1727

San Francisco Leaders Declare Energy Independence - Ordinance Provides Key Steps to Find New Power Provider & Convert City to Solar


SAN FRANCISCO, CA - February 18 - Joined by consumer groups, environmental groups and international leaders in renewable energy, City officials announced new legislation Tuesday to use the state's "Community Choice" law, in conjunction with the City's 2001 Voter-Approved solar "H Bond" Authority, to switch San Francisco to a new supplier for electricity service and build enough solar photovoltaic installations, wind turbines, efficiency and conservation installations, and hydrogen technologies to power 1/4 of the community with green power before the end of the decade. It also creates the opportunity to answer calls from City neighborhoods to close the polluting Hunter's Point and Portrero power plants.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano announced his "Energy Independence Ordinance" with co-sponsors - Board President Matt Gonzalez and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell (representing Hunter's Point) - flanked by Local Power Founder & Director Paul Fenn (local.org), Sierra Club Int'l Vice President Michele Perrault, California Wind Credit Law architect Tyrone Cashman, Sacramento Solar Architect Donald Aitken, UC Berkeley Professor Daniel Kammen, Greenpeace USA and TURN at a City Hall press conference today.

A recent California Public Utilities Commission decision makes room for communities like San Francisco to break away from utility power contracts to control their own energy destiny under the 2002 California Community Choice law (AB117, Migden). The Energy Independence ordinance orders City departments to prepare an Implementation Plan and Request for Proposals for the Board of Supervisors to solicit new Electric Service Providers interested in supplying power to San Franciscans and meeting the City's adopted goal of building 361 Megawatts of new solar photovoltaic installations, distributed generation such as fuel cells, wind turbines, hydrogen, energy efficiency and conservation technologies as standard components of the City's new electricity service.

The conversion, says proponents, would protect residents and businesses against increasingly volatile fossil fuel prices, close power plants that cause breast cancer and childhood asthma, and make the City a world leader in the global effort to stop climate change. On an average day San Francisco requires 650 Megawatts of power at night and 850 Megawatts during the day, making the 361 Megawatt investment in green power perhaps the most dramatic urban conversion to green power technologies ever.

While some components of the new service, such as solar cells, are more expensive than conventional power sources, the Community Choice law enables power providers to mix solar with less expensive energy efficiency technologies, to make the average price of the City's portfolio of resources competitive with PG&E's electric bills. "What is more, after it is paid off, this infrastructure will continue to provider power to San Franciscans at radically lower rates for decades," said Paul Fenn of Oakland-based Local Power, who drafted the Energy Independence ordinance with Ammiano's office, as well as San Francisco's 2001 H Bond Authority, and California's 2002 Community Choice law. "Energy Independence offers San Franciscans permanent protection against future energy crises."

The H Bond Authority, which was also sponsored by Supervisor Ammiano for the successful Proposition H vote in 2001, allows the City to finance the green power components over ten years, for gradual repayment of the solar, wind, conservation and efficiency investments so that the more expensive components need not result in higher rates. "This will offer a kind of insurance against wildly fluctuating energy prices and permanently reduce the amount of power San Franciscans need to buy from the grid," said Ammiano. "We can close the City's polluting power plants, make the City comply with the Kyoto Treaty and permanently lower rates for our residents and businesses, all at the same rates PG&E charges - now I call that a bargain."

###
- posted by Daniel @ 2:31 AM

 
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0218-06.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 18, 2004
1:26 PM
CONTACT: American Medical Student Association
Kim Becker (703) 620-6600 ext. 207

AMSA Applauds Massachusetts Doctors for Supporting Single Payer System


RESTON, VA - Febraury 18 - The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's largest, independent medical student organization, praises Massachusetts's doctors for favoring a single-payer healthcare system. A survey of 904 physicians, published in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine, reported that 63.5 percent of Mass. physicians believe that a single-payer healthcare system would provide the best care for the most people. Also among the findings, a majority said they would be willing to accept a 10 percent cut in fees in return for less paperwork. "It is commendable that the majority of doctors in Massachusetts favor a single-payer system and that most if not all of doctors are frustrated with the managed care system and would like to see it changed," says Lauren Oshman, M.D., M.P.H., AMSA National President. "This survey shows the tremendous movement that has been made towards acceptance of a universal healthcare system. AMSA has built momentum for universal health care through opportunities for medical students to get involved on both national and grassroots levels."

This week is Health Care Justice Week, an opportunity to mobilize thousands of medical students to lobby Congress on the Health Care Access Resolution (HCAR) (H.Con.Res 99/S.Con.Res. 41), which calls for Congress to enact health care reform that will provide "access to comprehensive health services for all Americans by 2005." In the 107th Congress, there were 96 co-sponsors of the House version of HCAR. AMSA hopes to secure 100 cosponsors by the end of the month and 150 by May, the end of the school year. To become involved in Health Care Justice Week, AMSA has provided materials to meet students' needs; fact sheet, talking points and an action guide that details how to set up meetings with local representatives. For over fifty years, AMSA has advocated on behalf of universal health care, both on a federal and state level. For more information on AMSA's Health Care Justice Week initiatives, please visit http://www.amsa.org/election2004/hcjw.cfm.

###
- posted by Daniel @ 2:29 AM

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 13, 2004
1:19 PM
CONTACT: U.S. Representative Kucinich
Doug Gordon (202) 225-5871

Kucinich and 21 Members Of Congress Call On TSA To Suspend CAPPS II


WASHINGTON - February 13 - A bipartisan group of twenty-two Members of Congress, led by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), today, sent a letter to the Acting Administrator of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) raising serious concerns over the Administration's proposed Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II (CAPPS II).

According to the Administration, CAPPS II is intended to provide a more thorough approach to screening passengers, thereby increasing aviation security. Yet, both Congress and the General Accounting Office (GAO) have raised serious concerns about the program's infringement on civil liberties...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:24 AM

 
Kucinich makes progress with TV viewers
But in order to beat Bush, they say they'd vote for front-runner
By ANNYSA JOHNSON and JEFF NELSON
anjohnson@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Feb. 15, 2004

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio gained ground, and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean lost some, among Wisconsin viewers who tuned in to Sunday's Democratic presidential debate.

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:17 AM

 
Kucinich backers keeping faith

Despite a lackluster showing, the Ohio Democrat presses on for the presidential nomination and opens a St. Petersburg office.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published February 16, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG - What's left for Dennis Kucinich for President supporters, who opened a campaign office here Sunday afternoon?

John Kerry is the leader for the Democratic nomination for president, pundits say. And should he stumble, Howard Dean and John Edwards are ready and waiting.

So why is Kucinich, whose high-water mark so far is 2,382 votes in this month's Maine caucuses, opening an office in the 1600 block of 16th St. S in anticipation of the state's March 9 primary?

"There's a strategy," said Ed Helm, 59, a Kucinich supporter and his state delegate coordinator. "He'll win in Ohio and do well in California and New York.

"Victory here is sowing seeds that will reach fruition later."

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:07 AM

 
The San Francisco Bay Guardian has endorsed Dennis Kucinich:

http://www.sfbg.com/38/21/cover_endorsements.html
- posted by Daniel @ 1:42 AM

 
Kucinich pushes jobs, health care

02/18/04
Mark Naymik
Plain Dealer Politics Writer

Standing before the twisted metal and crushed concrete of a recently demolished Cleveland hospital, Dennis Kucinich on Tuesday declared health care the No. 1 domestic issue in the presidential campaign.

"This is a defining issue of what we stand for in the U.S.," the Democratic hopeful and Cleveland congressman said at the site of the former Mt. Sinai Medical Center on Cleveland's East Side.

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 9:24 PM

 
Kucinich speaks at Union

by Christina Daglas, News Editor
February 18, 2004

A mix of Wisconsinites including students, adults and children gathered in the Memorial Union's Great Hall Monday afternoon to show support for presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich in what served as one last distinct push before the state sets out for the polls today.

Kucinich's progressive and liberal views attracted a diverse mix of individuals Monday, including musician Tim Reynolds, who played before and after the rally to stir up support for the candidate.

Kucinich entered the hall to cheers, a standing ovation and a musical medley courtesy of Reynolds.

"Hello, Madison," said an energetic Kucinich. "Are you ready to take America in a new direction?"

(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 9:14 PM

 
W I R E D N E W S Top Stories - 09:15AM 18.Feb.04.PST
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Blogs Pump Bucks Into Campaigns (Politics 2:00 a.m. PDT)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/politics/0,1283,62325,00.html/wn_ascii

A Democratic candidate buys $2,000 of advertising on a blog and gets
$80,000 in campaign donations in two weeks. Was it a fluke, or the
beginning of a new campaign cash cow? By Chris Ulbrich.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Move to Block California E-Vote (Machine Politics Tuesday)
http://go.hotwired.com/news/evote/0,2645,62323,00.html/wn_ascii

Only two weeks before the state's primary election, a group fearing
that heavy reliance on electronic voting machines could lead to
widespread election fraud is trying to derail the process.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

- posted by Daniel @ 8:27 PM

 
From GRACE:


Eat Well Guide Survey
http://www.themeatrix.com/ewg_survey/

The Eat Well Guide is a national, online directory of sustainably-raised meat, dairy and eggs from stores, restaurants and producers in all 50 states and Canada.

Help us create the most comprehensive, easy-to-use web resource for consumers by filling out a quick, 5-minute survey. Your suggestions will be used to update our database of producers and improve the look and feel of the site.

Please visit http://www.themeatrix.com/ewg_survey/

Thanks in advance for your help!

The Eat Well Guide and
GRACE Staff

- posted by Daniel @ 4:15 PM

 
From GRACE:

USDA Downed Animal Ban Under Attack by Agribusiness

On December 30, 2003, the USDA implemented several measures to address public concern over the discovery of mad cow disease (a.k.a. bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE) in the United States, including a ban on the slaughter of downed cattle, animals too sick to stand, for human food. Alarmingly, agribusiness and their legislative allies in Washington, DC are lobbying the USDA to lift the downer ban. It is absolutely critical for USDA to hear from citizens who support the ban on slaughtering downed animals for human food.

The USDA is accepting public comments on its downer ban until April 12, 2004. Please write, and encourage your friends, family and others to write as well. Urge the USDA to retain their ban on downer cows, and urge the agency to expand the ban on downers to include other species, such as sheep and pigs. This public comment period provides ! a rare opportunity to formally express concerns about the irresponsible and inhumane marketing and slaughter of downed animals.

The USDA's recent downed cow ban represents a long overdue policy shift, and it is imperative that we do everything in our power to maintain it, and hopefully to expand it. Please write today.

FSIS Docket Clerk
Docket 03-025IF
Room 102, Cotton Annex
300 12th and C Street SW.
Washington, DC 20250-3700
Fax: 202-690-0486
FSIS.Regulations@usda.gov

You can submit a letter online or see a sample letter on the No Downers web site:
http://www.nodowners.org/usda_form.htm
- posted by Daniel @ 3:43 PM

 
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Great Lakes News: 18 February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Nobody owns up to mystery spill
----------------------------------------
Alarms and changed alerts caused confusion up and down the St. Clair River
yesterday as investigators sought to find the source and content of a
reported chemical spill. Source: The Toronto Star (2/18)


Gary moves to add lakefront property
----------------------------------------
Mayor Scott King unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to acquire and redevelop
about 300 acres of industrial land along Gary's Lake Michigan shoreline.
Source: Merrillville Post-Tribune (2/18)


Ohio EPA lists where the air isn't so fresh
----------------------------------------
As many as 26 Ohio counties violate new federal standards for tiny airborne
pollutants. Source: The Plain Dealer (2/18)


Economic bounce lifts boat sales
----------------------------------------
After several slow years, Michigan's marine industry may be sailing toward
more brisk sales. Source: The Detroit News (2/18)


Environmental group drops landfill appeal
----------------------------------------
A local Indiana environmental group has dropped its protest over the closing
of a controversial landfill linked to contamination in the water supply.
Source: Merrillville Post-Tribune (2/18)


Zebra mussels found in seven more Michigan lakes in 2003
----------------------------------------
Zebra mussels were discovered in seven more Michigan lakes in 2003 and now
are confirmed in 184 lakes statewide. Source: The Detroit News (2/18)


Ban on lead sinkers aims to protect loons
----------------------------------------
The federal government plans to ban lead fishing tackle, in a bid to improve
habitat and prevent the deaths of waterfowl and other animals. Source: The
Globe and Mail (2/18)


New ferry still scheduled for June 1 startup
----------------------------------------
A high-speed Lake Michigan ferry that will carry vehicles and passengers
between Milwaukee and Muskegon is more than 60 percent finished and still on
track to go into service June 1. Source: The Detroit News (2/17)


High estrogen levels measured in St. Lawrence River
----------------------------------------
An increase in estrogen levels in the St. Lawrence River is turning male
fish into females-and researchers say the high levels could also have an
impact on humans. Source: CBC News (2/16)


Canada faces possible probe on destruction of birds' nests in boreal forest
----------------------------------------
Environmental groups have convinced North American Commission for
Environmental Cooperation members to back an investigation into Canada
failing to protect migratory birds' nests from logging operations in
Ontario's boreal forest. Source: The Toronto Star (2/7)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 3:41 PM

 
Eco-Economy Update 2004-3
For Immediate Release
Copyright Earth Policy Institute 2004
February 18, 2004


U.S. LEADING WORLD AWAY FROM CIGARETTES
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update34.htm

Lester R. Brown

The United States--the country that gave the world tobacco--is now leading
it away from cigarettes. After climbing for nearly a century, the number
of cigarettes smoked per person in this country peaked at nearly 2,900 in
1976 and began to decline. By 2003 the figure had dropped to 1,545
cigarettes--a fall of 46 percent. If this trend continues for another
quarter-century, smokers will be a rarity in the United States.

As the costs of cigarette smoking become clear, pressure to phase out
cigarettes is gaining momentum. At its annual meeting in 2003, the
American Society of Clinical Oncology called for the elimination of
tobacco from the world. Its president, Dr. Paul A. Bunn, Jr., noted: "We
are cancer doctors. We get frustrated seeing the devastation caused by
tobacco products."

At a broader level, the World Medical Association (WMA), which includes
organizations representing 10 million doctors from 117 countries, has
called for strong measures to reduce cigarette smoking. The 4.9 million
annual deaths from inhaling cigarette smoke exceed the 3 million deaths
from all other air pollutants combined. Among the WMA's principal
recommendations are raising taxes on and banning all advertising for
cigarettes.

Meanwhile the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a "Tobacco Free
Initiative." Its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was unanimously
approved in May 2003 by the 192 countries attending the World Health
Assembly. Calling for bans on cigarette advertising, higher taxes on
cigarettes, and restrictions on smoking in the workplace, this treaty will
take effect once 40 members have ratified it.

World usage of this addictive product peaked in 1987 at 1,038 cigarettes
smoked per person. Though the decline lagged trends in the United States
by roughly a decade, the global figure fell to 887 cigarettes per person
in 2002, a drop of nearly 15 percent. Countries that were once bastions of
smoking, such as France, Japan, and China, are following the U.S. lead.

In France--where the government is now taking strong steps to discourage
smoking--the number of cigarettes smoked per person dropped from 1,750 in
1985 to 1,338 in 2003, a decline of more than 23 percent. In Japan, where
most men once smoked, the peak came in 1992. Since then annual consumption
has dropped some 18 percent, from 2,744 cigarettes per person to 2,247
cigarettes in 2003. And in China, the world's most populous country,
smoking peaked in 1990 at 1,440 cigarettes per person and then fell 8
percent to 1,330 cigarettes in 2003.

Evidence of the damaging effects of cigarette smoking on human health
continues to accumulate. Today there are some 25 known tobacco-related
diseases, including heart disease, strokes, respiratory illnesses, and
several forms of cancer. Recent research findings show that smoking
increases breast cancer in women by 30 percent and contributes to
impotence in men. The constriction and blockage of small blood vessels
that can prevent an erection in men who smoke is a forerunner of the
blockage of the larger coronary arteries that leads to heart disease.

The number of deaths per year worldwide from smoking-related
illnesses--currently at 4.9 million--is expected to reach 10 million by
2020. WHO estimates that nearly one third of all adult smokers will die of
smoking-related illnesses. In China, where smoking is largely limited to
males, easily 100 million men could eventually die from smoking-related
illnesses if smoking rates are not further reduced.

In addition to the human suffering from lung cancer, heart disease, and
other smoking-caused illnesses, the economic cost of cigarette use is
high. A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
indicates that each pack of cigarettes smoked in the United States costs
society $7.18 in health care and lost employee productivity. It is the
economics of smoking that helped convince the World Bank to ally itself
with WHO in an effort to stamp out tobacco production and use.

Among the steps being taken to discourage smoking are educational
campaigns on how smoking affects health, bans on advertising, restrictions
on indoor smoking, higher taxes, and legal actions by smoking victims
against tobacco companies. Information campaigns can be particularly
effective in rural areas of developing countries, where information on
smoking and health is almost nonexistent.

In the United States, California--a leader in the anti-smoking
campaign--has exploited concerns about impotence in a television
commercial in which a man's flirtation with a woman fails when the
cigarette in his mouth begins to droop. While teenagers may not be
particularly concerned about their mortality, they do worry about their
sexuality. In Thailand, cigarette packs carry a warning in large type:
"Cigarette smoking causes sexual impotence."

Raising taxes on cigarettes has become commonplace at the state level in
the United States. This both discourages smoking and helps close spiraling
fiscal deficits. In 2002, some 19 of the 50 states raised cigarette taxes
by an average of 42¢ per pack. In 2003, another 13 states raised taxes. On
top of the federal tax of 39¢ per pack, New Jersey has an added tax of
$2.05. New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts each have taxes of $1.50 a
pack.

Some countries have discouraged smoking with stiff taxes on cigarettes.
Among the leaders in this effort are Norway with a tax of $5.99 per pack,
the United Kingdom at $5.03, Ireland at $3.52, and Denmark at $3.08.

Legal action holding cigarette manufacturers responsible for the products
they market is beginning to gain traction in many countries. This approach
is perhaps most advanced in the United States. In late November 1998, the
U.S. cigarette industry agreed to pay the 50 state governments a
staggering total of $251 billion to cover past Medicare costs of treating
smoking-related illnesses--nearly $1,000 for every American.

Early attempts to protect nonsmokers from the adverse effects of cigarette
smoke included segregating smokers on planes and in restaurants. More
recently this has been replaced by outright bans. Local bans on indoor
smoking in workplaces and public buildings, planes, trains, buses,
restaurants, and bars are now commonplace. Several states--including New
York, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, and California--have banned smoking in
restaurants and bars. The Norwegian Parliament, in April 2003, became the
first country to approve a national ban on smoking in restaurants and
bars. Ireland and the Netherlands are following suit.

Bhutan, a small mountainous kingdom between India and China, may be the
first country to completely ban cigarettes. Already 19 of its 20 district
health officials are working to make the sale of tobacco products illegal
and to fine anyone caught smoking in public.

Measures that discourage smoking will quickly reduce smoking-related
illnesses and raise life expectancy. Only a few years ago the idea that
citizen action groups, national governments, medical associations, WHO,
and the World Bank would be working together to create a tobacco-free
world would have seemed farfetched. Today, it is becoming a reality.

# # #

Additional data and information sources at www.earth-policy.org
or contact jlarsen@earth-policy.org

For reprint permissions contact rjkauffman@earth-policy.org

If you enjoy receiving our e-news, please recommend it to a friend or
colleague.

To receive Eco-Economy Updates by email, go to
http://www.earth-policy.org/Subscribe/index.htm
- posted by Daniel @ 3:34 PM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 02/17/2004

ACEEE rates model year 2004's 'greenest' and 'meanest'
Amid continued public interest in fuel efficiency and growing concern about gas-guzzling SUVs, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has announced this year's "Greenest" and "Meanest" vehicles, along with environmental scorings of all model year 2004 cars and passenger trucks.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_12985.asp

Ecuador is sacked by illegal wildlife trade
Ecuador's exotic species of orchids, parrots, and monkeys have won the small, mountainous country on the west coast of South America fame among conservationists and nature-loving tourists. But its exuberant environment is also a target for the illegal wildlife trade.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13209.asp

Green groups sue to block drilling in Alaska reserve
Environmental groups on Tuesday sued to block the Bush administration's current plan to open million of acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling because they want more protection for the area's wildlife.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13206.asp

Scottish skiers face grim reality of global warming
This school holiday week, thousands of Britons will be bracing themselves against the wind and sliding downhill through a mixture of mud, ice, and boulders. Scottish skiing has met global warming.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13214.asp

Bald eagles wait to be taken off threatened list, but their very prevalence is causing delays
So many bald eagles swoop down from the treetops to pluck their breakfast from the Skagit River that you wouldn't think they were a threatened species.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13218.asp

Brazilian Indians fear millennial way of life is threatened by development
Naked children are leaping from mango trees and tumbling into the mild water of the Xingu River without a care. But up by the grass-roofed long houses, the village elders fret that their way of life may come to an end soon.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13216.asp

World is slipping in goal of fresh water to poor
The world is slipping behind a U.N. goal of supplying fresh water by 2015 to more than a half-billion people in developing nations who currently lack it, the head of a U.N. Commission said Tuesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13207.asp

U.S. petroleum engineers become rare commodity
Striking oil isn't easy, but companies searching for black gold are finding it even tougher to recruit new petroleum engineers. Layoffs, the technology boom, and a bad public image have all contributed to a sharp decline in students pursuing energy careers at U.S. universities. And as a large number of engineers approach retirement age, a staffing crunch looms.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13212.asp

Australia toasts new transcontinental railway
Like a silver snake slithering through a rust-colored desert, Australia's longest passenger train winds its way through the heart of the nation from the far south to the tropical north.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13208.asp

Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

WWF-US Communications:
Indonesia to Protect Top Nesting Site for Critically Endangered Turtles

United Nations Environment Programme:
UNEP-WCMC Mapping Tool To Shed Light on World's Marine Turtles

The Heinz Center:
HEINZ CENTER ELECTS R. PHILIP HANES, JR., TO BOARD

World Society for the Protection of Animals:
First of infamous Japanese bear parks to close in victory for animal groups

California Certified Organic Farmers:
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Foundation Helps Farmers "Going Organic"

World Society for the Protection of Animals:
Bear rehabilitation proves effective

World Society for the Protection of Animals:
Concerns grow over animals buried alive in mass graves
- posted by Daniel @ 3:30 PM

 
The terrible human cost of Bush and Blair's military adventure: 10,000 civilian deaths
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=489082
- posted by Daniel @ 2:02 AM

 
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Great Lakes News: 17 February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Cuts leave pollution program 'a paper tiger'
----------------------------------------
Funding and staff shortages have stalled Wisconsin's program to curb runoff
pollution nearly two years after it became law, conservationists say.
Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (2/17)


Illinois hopes rivers can help plug state's job leak
----------------------------------------
Commerce officials think riverfront ports can boost Illinois' teetering
economy, helping plug a leak that has seen more than 200,000 jobs stream out
of the state over the last four years. Source: The Northwest Indiana Times
(2/17)


Border guards add firepower
----------------------------------------
The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection plans to station armed
agents in Rochester, N.Y., to help patrol Lake Ontario against potential
terrorists and drug runners. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (2/17)


Townships fight gas pipeline
----------------------------------------
A gas company's plan to lay a new pipeline that would cut a 100-foot swatch
though environmentally sensitive areas has Oakland County residents and
township leaders up in arms. Source: The Detroit News (2/17)


Bill to make mourning doves legal prey stirs passions on both sides
----------------------------------------
A proposed law to allow dove hunting in Michigan is a springboard for
threats, protests, political sleight of hand and exhaustive lobbying efforts
unlike any seen since, well, the last time it was proposed. Source: Detroit
Free Press (2/17)


Great Lakes provinces and states want border reopened to Canadian cattle
----------------------------------------
Great Lakes states and provinces are urging Canada and the United States to
quickly reopen their borders to live cattle to help restore public
confidence in food safety. Source: The Canadian Press (2/16)


EDITORIAL: Clean water in Minnesota
----------------------------------------
In the current fiscal and political climate, even the smartest and most
reasonable of public solutions to problems can fall by the wayside. Source:
St. Paul Pioneer Press (2/16)


Fear of mercury pollution fuels debate over Zion incinerator
----------------------------------------
It's not the fear of dirty air, but of mercury-contaminated fish that has
residents of a Chicago-area community opposing plans for a sludge
incinerator. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (2/15)


Road salt poses big threat to suburban ecosystems
----------------------------------------
Ecologists are warning that the accumulation of road salt appears to be
gradually transforming suburban woods and wetlands, even well away from
pavement. Source: Arlington Heights Daily Herald (2/14)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 1:52 AM

 
Kucinich Is the One
by Studs Terkel

When I finished reading John Nichols's exhilarating communiqué from California ("Kucinich Rocks the Boat," March 25), the bells began to ring. In his speech to the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action, criticizing Bush's conduct of the war on terrorism, Dennis Kucinich set the crowd on its ear--one standing ovation after another. Sure, they were all liberals, but what counted was the response on the Internet. The Cleveland Congressman's e-mail box was stuffed to overflowing with 20,000-plus enthusiastic letters. Among them was the call: Kucinich for President. That's when--bingo!--I remembered my first encounter with him. It was twenty-four years ago...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:49 AM

 
SUBJECT TO DEBATE
by Katha Pollitt
Regressive Progressive?

As chairman of the fifty-nine-member Congressional Progressive Caucus and potential candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich has been quite visible lately. At a time when few Democrats are daring to question the war aims of the Bush Administration--or even to ask what they are--Kucinich has spoken eloquently against the Patriot Act, the ongoing military buildup and the vague and apparently horizonless "war on terrorism." From tax cuts for the rich and the death penalty (against) to national health insurance and the environment (for), Kucinich has the right liberal positions. Michael Moore, who likes to rib progressives for favoring white wine and brie over hot dogs and beer, would surely...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:42 AM

 
Kucinich Brings Other America Tour to Cincinnati
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2004


Who: Democratic Presidential Nominee Candidate Dennis J. Kucinich
What: ‘Other America’ Tour with Dennis Kucinich
When: Wednesday, February 18, 2004, 6:30 – 7:15 pm ET
Where: Buddy’s Place, 1300 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH

This Wednesday, Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich will bring his Other America Tour to Cincinnati, in an address to the Over-the-Rhine community. The Other America Tour, launched last week in the Sunnydale neighborhood of San Francisco, takes Kucinich through communities that are ignored in public debate by the media and candidates, highlighting the disenfranchised members of the American democratic project. Kucinich’s speech in Cincinnati will draw on his upbringing in poor communities of color and address his efforts to shift our national priorities to improve quality of life in poor communities, including his plan for a WPA-style full employment economy and for a national living wage.

Approximately 95% of Over-the-Rhine residents live below the poverty line. In April 2001, the community was the site of riots sparked by the killing of Timothy Thomas, 19, an unarmed man fleeing the police, who was the fifth African American man killed by Cincinnati police in seven months.

For more campaign information: http://www.kucinich.us

Other America Press Clip: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42609-2004Feb14.html

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.
Local Contacts: Terre Lundy, 515-988-5534, terre@kucinich.us

National Contacts: Nate Wilkes, 602-405-8625, nate@kucinich.us, Susan Mainzer 213-840-0077, susan.mainzer@kucinich.us

Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:38 AM

 
The Soul of the Worker
by Dennis J. Kucinich

The Iowa AFL-CIO State Convention Wednesday, August 14, 2002

I was born into the House of Labor. My father was a Teamster who drove a truck for thirty-five years. He died with his first retirement check in his pocket, uncashed. He and my mother raised seven children, of which I was the oldest. We lived in twenty-one different places by the time I was 17. Having a job doesn't solve all of a family's problems. One of my first jobs was at the Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland. As a copyboy I joined the American Newspaper Guild. Years later, working at TV 8, I belonged to AFTRA. Today I am a member of the cameraman's union, the IATSE of the AFL-CIO.

This is my membership card. I am of the House of Labor and still building. This is my card of membership in the House of Representatives. This card (House) is where my work is. And this card (IATSE) is where my heart is.

The hopes and dreams of the men and women who sent me to Congress are the stars by which I journey. Whenever there is...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:32 AM

 
Kucinich's Antiwar Bid
by John Nichols

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Three days after he sued the President to force a Congressional vote on whether to attack Iraq, and one day after hundreds of thousands of antiwar demonstrators in New York cheered his call to turn the tide toward peace, Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Dennis Kucinich was addressing a more down-to-earth issue at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. "It's K-u-c-i-n-i-c-h," he told seventy Linn County Democrats gathered to hear the first speech of the Ohio Congressman's bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.

Kucinich may lack the name recognition enjoyed by more centrist contenders, but in the crowded Iowa primary Kucinich found there still might be room for a candidate who says without blushing...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:27 AM

 
Who's Afraid of Dennis Kucinich?
by Matt Taibbi

Two images from the campaign trail define, for me, the Dennis Kucinich phenomenon.

The first came from a mid-September Senator John Edwards Town Hall meeting in Concord, New Hampshire. The parallel movements of the Southern Senator are a powerful leitmotif in the Kucinich campaign. In the epic novel of this election, whose tragic theme is the unavoidable humiliation of the sane in a kingdom of idiots, Edwards appears as Kucinich's foil, his Dostoyevskian opposite. For every step Kucinich takes, Edwards is seemingly there to remind him that a man cannot succeed in a world designed for children.

The Southern Senator is a...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:11 AM

 
Progressives Should Vote Kucinich
by Ronnie Dugger

Dennis Kucinich is the one candidate for President whose vision, eloquence and commitments on the issues can lead us to rise to and surmount the worldwide crises precipitated by the Bush Administration.

First and foremost, Kucinich is inviting us to stop being aggressive nationalists and start being brothers and sisters with the entire human race. It's a euphemism to call Bush's war on Iraq "a war of choice"; it was a classic unprovoked war of aggression. Kucinich is the only member of Congress running for President who voted against the resolution authorizing Bush to attack Iraq. Kerry, Edwards, Gephardt and Lieberman all voted for it, while Kucinich led almost two-thirds of the Democrats in the House of Representatives to repudiate their own party leader on it. In the national disgrace of our war on Iraq, the public figure who did the most to uphold American honor is Dennis Kucinich...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 1:04 AM

 

"Ohio Is Expecting!"

Eight Presidents have claimed Ohio as their birthplace. Dennis Kucinich says the state of his birth is expecting again as he campaigns in the State of the Presidents.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2004

Contact: Sharon H. Jimenez, (310) 385-8035

Four-term Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich said today, "Ohio, the mother of Presidents is expecting again," alluding to the long list of Presidents who claimed Ohio as their birthplace, including James Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Warren Harding, Benjamin Harrison, William Henry Harrison, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, and William Howard Taft. Kucinich who is campaigning in Wisconsin, will move on to Ohio seeking the support of voters in his home state to end the 139-year Presidential infertility of the once-rich Presidential state.

Though Congressman Kucinich has received less than 1% of the news coverage of the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, he is still campaigning non-stop in Wisconsin as their primary approaches, and has a full schedule planned for the rest of the month where he will campaign in the states with Super Tuesday primaries.

Kucinich has stayed in the race by raising funds from individuals, avoiding large donations from special interests. "Small donors committed to changing the Democratic nominating process are keeping me in the campaign," says Kucinich who has raised nearly 9 million dollars in his bid for the Presidency. "Average Americans want the issues of job creation, ending NAFTA and the WTO, protecting their rights and their wages to be given a voice in this campaign." Kucinich has promised his first act as President would be to repeal the trade treaties which have cost American millions of jobs and hurt the wages and benefits paid to America. "NAFTA and the WTO represent a race to the bottom for this nation's workers" Kucinich told reporters and supporters on this President's Day.

For more campaign information: http://www.kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.

To schedule an interview: jonathans@kucinich.us

National contacts:
Jonathan Schwartz, (301) 928-7579 (cell), jonathans@kucinich.us
National Deputy Press Secretary: Nate Wilkes, 602-405-8625, nate@kucinich.us

Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 10:03 PM

 
Midge Miller: Thanks to Kucinich for candidacy, leadership and vision
Madison, WI Capitol Times
By Midge Miller
February 17, 2004

An open letter to Democratic presidential primary candidate Dennis Kucinich:

This is a letter to thank you for all that you are doing in this election. Your message is both courageous and insightful.

I have watched the marvelous response that you have received from audiences and, through the months, have watched as other candidates have moved in your direction on many issues. Even President Bush is now trying to get the United Nations involved in Iraq although he doesn't understand, as you do, what it will take to make that work.

In spite of the enthusiastic response of many audiences, the media have managed to dismiss you, not by challenging you on the issues but by ignoring you and convincing people you don't have a chance. Of course, this has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. This has been disastrous for your campaign, but it is even more disastrous for the country.

Our country seems to have three primaries...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:19 PM

 
ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition 02/17/2004


How Bush reversed regulatory effort on polluting gas additive
The Bush administration quietly shelved a proposal to ban a gasoline additive that contaminates drinking water in many communities, helping an industry that has donated more than $1 million to Republicans.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13168.asp

Largest waste coal plant in world sprouts from Pennsylvania coal region
When it began operating in 1921 at the height of Pennsylvania's coal production, the coal-fired power plant at the mouth of the Conemaugh No. 1 Mine was a symbol of the area's industrial might.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13170.asp

E.U. wants to cut pollution from car tires
The European Commission adopted a proposal on Monday to cut pollution from rubber tires by limiting the presence of toxic chemicals.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13162.asp

Biologists find cows make good company for some rare critters
Fairy shrimp, the rare tiger salamander, the solitary bee — rare critters who live in seasonal rainwater pools in California's grasslands — may actually benefit from having large, heavy-footed cattle grazing around their habitat.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13169.asp

Concerns mount over safety of LNG tankers, as more U.S. terminals are proposed
State Marine Patrol Sgt. John Reilly paused briefly as his 27-foot Boston Whaler bobbed in the choppy waters of Boston Harbor and considered the ship he was helping to protect.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13171.asp

Tiny South Pacific islands face high tide flooding this week
The tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvulu, which fears it could eventually be erased by rising sea levels, was bracing Tuesday for high tides expected to flood low-lying areas of its main atoll later this week, the nation's weather office said.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13166.asp

Bird flu recurs in Thailand, Tibet also hit
Thailand's hopes of following Japan in declaring a swift end to its huge bird flu crisis were dashed Monday as the virus that has killed 20 Asians reappeared in eight areas where it had been thought vanquished.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13164.asp

U.S. must engage Africa better than Mideast, says thinktank
America must deal with Africa more fairly than it did the Middle East as it turns to the continent for more of its oil needs, the head of a think-tank at a leading U.S. university said on Monday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-17/s_13165.asp

Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

Reef Ball Foundation:
Over 7,000 Red Mangroves used in Maiden Island Mangrove Restoration


- posted by Daniel @ 8:11 AM

 

Kucinich First to File for Pennsylvania Primary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2004

Contact: William Rivers Pitt, 617.308.6441 (cell), william.pitt@kucinich.us

Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich has become the first Democratic candidate to file petitions to be on the ballot for Pennsylvania’s April 27 primary election.

Last Friday morning, February 13, in Harrisburg, the state capital, representatives of the Kucinich campaign filed more than 3,200 names on nominating petitions. Pennsylvania law requires at least 2,000 valid signatures.

In a remarkable display of the true grassrooots nature of the campaign, more than 150 activists collected the signatures in a period of less than three weeks. The campaign also filed the required signatures to put nine delegate/alternate candidates on the ballot. Additional delegate candidates will also be filing their Kucinich petitions in the next few days to be on the ballot.

Ed Grystar, Kucinich Pennsylvania State Director, said that “the message of the Kucinich campaign regarding jobs, peace and justice will resonate with the citizens of Pennsylvania. That is what’s needed to provide an alternative to candidates and officerholders who refuse to challenge the rule of Big Money in all aspects of U.S. society.”

For more information: http://www.kucinich.us

For Rep. Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm

Local Contact: Ed Grystar, 412-826-1270, ed.grystar@kucinich.us

National Contact: Susan Mainzer, 213-840-0077, smainzer@kucinich.us


Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 6:11 AM

 

Kucinich Gets Tough on H-1b and L-1 Visas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2004

The expanded use of H-1b and L-1 visas has had a negative effect on the workplace of Information Technology workers in America. It has caused a reduction in wages. It has forced workers to accept deteriorating working conditions and allowed U.S. companies to concentrate work in technical and geographic areas that American workers consider undesirable. It has also reduced the number of IT jobs held by Americans. At its peak in 2000, there were 10.5 million people working in Information Technology in the United States. By 2001, there were fewer than 10 million -- despite continued global growth in Information Technology employment. Professor Norman Matloff of UC Davis estimates that in the spring of 2003 there were 500,000 unemployed and underemployed U.S. programmers, while there were 463,000 H-1b workers employed in the field.

A Kucinich administration will ensure that there are adequate funds for the enforcement of visa regulations -- including much-ignored regulations prohibiting the use of foreign nationals in critical infrastructure. A Kucinich administration will also appoint a special investigator to examine the extent and nature of H-1b and L-1 visa fraud and the reasons for heavy use of H-1b and L-1 visas at Enron, WorldCom, and Anderson. He will take seriously the allegations of perjury by corporate leaders who have testified before Congress, requesting expansion of this program in 1998 and 2000, as well as allegations of the use of the H-1b and L-1 programs in corrupt organizations.

There will be an industry fact-finding commission, including representatives of major U.S. investors, U.S. tech workers, and business leaders who have been competitive in the international marketplace without use of the H-1b/L-1 program. These representatives will make suggestions as to a new policy on the immigration of people with specialized knowledge or unique skills.

Dennis Kucinich has already set forth plans for major technical initiatives in the areas of renewable energy, pollution control, and promotions of Open Source software and media creating a wider diversity of means by which technologists are funded outside of the service of major corporations. It may not be possible to undo the damage that corporate shortsightedness has done to the U.S. technical community -- but it is possible to give a real voice to the vision that the U.S. technical community has for a better America.

For more campaign information: http://www.kucinich.us

For Congressman Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm.

Contact: Susan Mainzer, 213-840-007, smainzer@kucinich.us


Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 6:07 AM

 
Kucinich To Open Series of Talks at Joan B. Kroc Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2004

Who: Democratic Presidential Nominee Candidate Dennis J. Kucinich
What: Speech on "The Role of the U.S. in Preventing Deadly Conflict" (Reception to follow)
When: Friday, February 27, 7:30 PM
Where: The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA (accessed via USD's West Entrance off Linda Vista Road and Marian Way)

Ohio Congressman Kucinich will discuss his views on how the United States can work to prevent violent international or intra-national conflict in the world. In his acceptance speech for the 2003 Gandhi Peace Award, Rep. Kucinich spoke of "...the potential of humanity to evolve...to a condition where our knowledge that peace is inevitable becomes the defining paradigm of a new century and a new world." Standing firm in his opposition to military action in Iraq, Rep. Kucinich rallied nearly two-thirds of House Democrats who ultimately voted against the Iraq war resolution. "There is no imminent threat" Kucinich stated September 29, 2002, on CBS television's "Face the Nation."

Kucinich rejects the doctrine of pre-emptive war, and believes that conflict can be prevented by working with other nations and the United Nations. He has sponsored two Congressional measures: the Space Preservation Treaty which bans space-based weapons; and a cabinet-level Department of Peace, to establish non-violence as an organizing principle in both domestic and international affairs.

Fair trade agreements can be a first step toward building trust between the U.S. and other nations, Kucinich declares. Trade treaties must be conditioned on workers' rights, human rights, and environmental principles. Kucinich sees the U.S. as a partner with developing nations in providing fair wages, decent working conditions, and technologies that provide sustainable energy production. A Harris Poll taken Feb. 12-16, 2003 indicates agreement with these principles. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said the U.S. has a moral responsibility toward poor nations to help them develop economically and improve working people's lives.

Kucinich has stated that the Internet, communications, transportation and trade all reflect connectivity. "The thinking that separates us from other nations and other people is archaic." Kucinich offers a vision for the world that seeks "to make war itself archaic..." and "to make nonviolence an organizing principle in our society."For more information: www.kucinich.us

For Rep. Kucinich's Schedule: http://www.kucinich.us/schedule.htm

Local Contacts: Kathy Hughart, San Diego Kucinich for President Campaign Headquarters, 619-269-7113, kmarks@sdccu.ne

National Contact: Susan Mainzer 213-840-0077, susan.mainzer@kucinich.us



Contact us:
Kucinich for President
11808 Lorain Avenue - Cleveland, OH 44111
216-889-2004 / 866-413-3664 (toll-free)
- posted by Daniel @ 6:05 AM

 
Kucinich Says He's Electable in November

Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is in Madison on Monday. He spoke to an overflow crowd Monday morning in a state Capitol hearing room....(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 5:59 AM

 
Kucinich: 'You're looking at Seabiscuit'
Ohio congressman says he's in presidential race all the way

By Bill Novak
February 16, 2004

JEFFERSON - Dennis Kucinich is Seabiscuit.

That small, scrawny-looking thoroughbred from California has a figurative stablemate from Ohio, who galloped into town this morning and declared he's in the presidential race for the full six furlongs.

"If I have a heartbeat, I'll be continuing on," Kucinich said at the Jefferson VFW Hall when asked if he would drop out of the race for the White House if he doesn't fare well in Wisconsin.

His remarks were made to...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 5:48 PM

 
WI 02/15/04 Presidential debate:

http://www.wisconsindebate.com/
- posted by Daniel @ 5:41 PM

 
Post Debate analysis of the WI Presidential debate and candidate interviews:

http://www.wisconsindebate.com/postdebatearchive.asp
- posted by Daniel @ 5:38 PM

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/16/2004
CONTACT: David Watkins (608) 265-3380

NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: High-resolution images of Watkins and his lab are available at http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/watkins.html

STUDIES OFFER NEW INSIGHT INTO HIV VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

MADISON-Mutations that allow AIDS viruses to escape detection by the immune system may also hinder the viruses' ability to grow after transmission to new hosts, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced this week in the journal Nature Medicine.

The discovery may help researchers design vaccines that exploit the notorious mutability of HIV by training the immune system to attack the virus where it's most vulnerable. The work appears alongside a study of HIV-infected people performed by scientists at Harvard Medical School and Oxford University. The Wisconsin study's lead author, Thomas Friedrich, is a doctoral student working under the direction of David Watkins, professor of pathology at UW-Madison and senior scientist at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center.

Watkins' team produced an "escaped" AIDS virus that mimicked events that occur in HIV infection when the virus mutates to become unrecognizable to killer cells known as cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, or CTL. The researchers found that the mutant virus did not grow as well as the original strain. The mutations, while allowing the virus to escape immune recognition, had also weakened the virus. To model the transmission of escaped viruses between people, the team inoculated monkeys with the mutant virus strain. They discovered that most of the escape mutations were lost as the virus grew in the monkeys, often restoring original sequences that killer cells could recognize.

Some scientists have theorized that HIV could adapt to the human immune system as the AIDS epidemic develops, becoming less and less recognizable. Watkins said that his group's findings should help allay these fears.

The UW-Madison group has been studying immunity to AIDS viruses since the early 1990s. Most recently, the researchers have been studying the ways in which viruses mutate to "escape" recognition by the body's killer cells. Killer cells are white blood cells that perform immune "surveillance" throughout the body, detecting infected cells and eliminating them before the virus can spread.

"Over 40 million people are now infected with HIV worldwide, and a vaccine is urgently needed," Watkins said. "We hope that our findings can be used to help design vaccines that show killer cells how to fight the virus most effectively."
###
-- Jordana Lenon (608) 263-7024, jlenon@primate.wisc.edu




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University Communications
University of Wisconsin-Madison
27 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331
- posted by Daniel @ 5:24 PM

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/16/2004
CONTACT: Tim Kratz, (715) 356-9494, tkkratz@wisc.edu; Bill Provencher, (608) 262-9494, provencher@aae.wisc.edu; Stephen Carpenter, (608) 262-8690, srcarpen@wisc.edu

LAKE RESTRICTIONS MAKE LAKESHORE PROPERTY MORE VALUABLE

SEATTLE - People are willing to pay more to live on a lake that's protected from degradation, often related to lakeshore development.

These findings are part of a report from an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which investigates the ways human beings create and respond to environmental change.

This rise in property value is just one of the preliminary findings presented today, Feb. 14, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Taken together, the initial results point to the importance of understanding the reciprocal interaction between ecological and human systems - something the Wisconsin scientists argue is key to developing effective management strategies.

One of the emerging environmental issues in Wisconsin is the development of the state's Northwoods region (also known as the Northern Highland Lake District) that's speckled with thousands of freshwater lakes. A decade ago, before the area's population grew by 15 percent, anglers on nearly any of the region's lakes could dip their lines into the water and quickly catch fish. But, as more residents have moved into the area, fish abundance has declined, threatening many qualities of the lakes that attract people to the area.

Development tends to have a homogenizing effect across an area, giving lakes similar water qualities and similar fish and plant communities, says Stephen Carpenter, a UW-Madison limnology professor and one of the project's leaders.

But, as he and his colleagues note, identifying exactly how humans alter these lakes is only one part of the equation. To understand how lakes change over time and to develop effective management strategies to mitigate predicted changes, researchers must determine how people - particularly fishermen and lakeside residents - may respond to changes in these freshwater ecosystems.

"When most people think about the dynamics of ecological systems, they think only of how humans influence them," says Tim Kratz, a senior scientist at UW-Madison's Center for Limnology and the group's presenter at the AAAS meeting. "But lakes also influence human activities and behaviors. They guide, for example, where people fish or where they decide to build their cabins."

As Carpenter and UW-Madison economist William Brock learned through mathematical modeling, the collapse of the fish population at one lake can ripple to nearby lakes - anglers, wanting to hook as many fish as possible, are likely to move to another lake that promises more nibbles on the line. Once overexploited, the anglers are likely to move again, until fish populations in all area lakes are depleted, says Carpenter.

But not all human responses to changes in a lake's ecosystems are negative, according to research by one scientist in the group. In fact, some can lead to a "win-win" situation that protects the lakes while increasing the value of the property surrounding those lakes.

When the quality of lakes begins to break down, lakefront property owners can respond in two ways, says Bill Provencher, an environmental economist at UW-Madison. "They can take action collectively, such as by forming associations that govern lake use, or they can take action privately by moving off the lake."

In 1999, residents in Vilas County decided to take collective action: they enacted and continue to enforce a lake classification system that customizes development restriction on a lake based on its level of development and sensitivity to environmental change. The regulations, for example, require new lots on ecologically sensitive, undeveloped lakes to be at least 300 feet wide along the lakeshore, compared to the state minimum of 100 feet.

Because the county ordinance is one example of how people have responded to the changes in the environment, the interdisciplinary team of UW-Madison researchers wanted to evaluate the economic and ecological outcomes of these regulatory actions.

Provencher focused on property value, which he says is an indirect marker of the economic value of the ordinance. Property value, he explains, can capture competing positive and negative effects of the ordinance on lakeshore residents, such as the assurance that the lake will be protected from future overdevelopment, but also limitations on how residents can use their property.

The Wisconsin economist says the "win-win" outcome - when the lake classification scheme is both economically and ecologically beneficial - depends on whether the positive economic effect of the ordinance outweighs the negative economic effect.

To determine the overall effect of the classification system on property value, the Wisconsin economist and his collaborators looked at the actual market sales of more than 1,100 lakefront properties sold in Vilas County from 1997 to 2001. For transactions occurring after the zoning restrictions were implemented in 1999, the researchers compared the relationship between selling price and level of development restriction.

The economic effect of the ordinance is generally positive, as reflected in higher property prices, says Provencher, referring to preliminary findings.

The findings show, for example, that the zoning restrictions for Trout Lake - a less developed, 3,816 acre lake in the Northwoods - raises the value of land along the lake from $633 to $715 (about 12.6 percent) per foot of shoreline. Similarly, the price of land around Preque Isle Lake - a smaller and even less developed lake in the region - increased from $410 to $510 per foot (24 percent).

Provencher says the preliminary results suggest that the lakefront homeowners, willing to exchange rights and money to live on a healthier lake, value environmental preservation. At the same time, they also suggest that preservation is valuable economically because it enhances the worth of land surrounding restricted lakes.

This positive connection between the environment and economics could encourage more people to respond collectively to ecological change in northern Wisconsin, notes Provencher: "Economics is the language of public policy. If a policy makes people better off financially, while protecting the environment, it's an easier sell."

Whether or not more lakeshore communities will adopt restrictions to protect the value of their lakes and homes, the UW-Madison group says that more research should consider how humans may react to ecological change, as they are players both acting and being acted upon by their environment.

"We want to be able to understand the causes of long-term changes observed in ecological systems, and we want to develop effective mitigation or management strategies," says Kratz. "We will have little chance of doing this if we don't understand how humans influence and respond to ecological change."
###
-- Emily Carlson (608) 262-9772, emilycarlson@wisc.edu




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news release system, please send an email to:
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University Communications
University of Wisconsin-Madison
27 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331
- posted by Daniel @ 5:14 PM

 
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Great Lakes News action alert: 16 February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Speak out against White House attempts to allow more mercury into the Great
Lakes
http://www.lakemichigan.org/air_quality/speak_out.asp
Source: Lake Michigan Federation (2004-02-13)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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- posted by Daniel @ 5:12 PM

 
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Support GLIN Daily News: http://www.glin.net/news/sponsor/
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Great Lakes News: 16 February 2004
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/

Multistate effort targets mercury pollution
----------------------------------------
A group of Great Lakes state legislators are pushing for new laws aimed at
limiting mercury pollution. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (2/16)


Enviros call on FCC to enforce tower regulations
----------------------------------------
An environmental group has filed a complaint against the Federal
Communications Commission in an attempt to cut down on bird deaths caused by
communication towers. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (2/16)


Seagull droppings top source of beach bacteria, study finds
----------------------------------------
A new study uses DNA evidence to identify seagull droppings as the top
source of E. coli bacteria in water samples collected last summer along the
shores of Lake Michigan. Source: Chicago Tribune (2/16)


Bush administration reversed effort to ban water polluter
----------------------------------------
The Bush administration has quietly shelved a proposal to ban a gasoline
additive that contaminates drinking water in many communities. Source:
Chicago Sun-Times (2/16)


EDITORIAL: Protecting Michigan's water
----------------------------------------
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is on the right track with her proposal to
regulate water withdrawals from the Great Lakes in her state. Source: The
Toledo Blade (2/16)


Iron Range revives to meet booming demand in China
----------------------------------------
China's exploding steel demand has created a new market for American ore and
brought jobs back to Minnesota's struggling Iron Range, the center of U.S.
iron ore mining. Source: Booth Newspapers (2/15)


Michigan forfeits Metro trees to Asian beetle
----------------------------------------
After a two-year battle between southeast Michigan and the emerald ash
borer, the bug has won, ending any lingering hope that the area's 12 million
ash trees may be saved. Source: The Detroit News (2/15)


When it rains, EPA would let waste pour
----------------------------------------
The Bush administration wants to make it easier for cities to release
partially treated sewage during heavy rains and snowmelts, a policy shift
that could boost levels of disease-causing pathogens in Lake Michigan and
other waterways. Source: Chicago Tribune (2/15)


Storm brewing over Niagara's famed mist
----------------------------------------
Locals say the mist spraying from Niagara Falls is chilling the bones of
visitors with increasing frequency and suggest a recently constructed wall
of high-rise hotels may be the culprit. Source: The Globe and Mail (2/14)


Proposed water rules may present problems for small towns
----------------------------------------
Proposed rules designed to further safeguard drinking water may become the
bane of existence for small northwestern Ontario towns already grappling
with a multitude of new regulations in the wake of the Walkerton tragedy.
Source: The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal (2/14)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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- posted by Daniel @ 5:10 PM

 
Kucinich keys on jobs, Iraq, health care

By Trudy Stewart
Central Wisconsin Sunday

STEVENS POINT - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich told about 250 people at a campaign rally Saturday that he sees three issues of great importance to Wisconsin voters at stake in Tuesday's presidential primary.

"Number one is the issue of jobs," Kucinich said during the rally, which was held at about 2 p.m. at Stevens Point Area Senior High School. "Wisconsin has lost thousands of jobs because of (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and (the World Trade Organization). I say those trade agreements have to go." The first thing he would do as president would be getting rid of NAFTA and the WTO, he said.

The second issue is...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 2:33 PM

 
Kucinich tells Cal crowd he'll win Bay Area vote

John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich brought his longshot Democratic presidential campaign to the Bay Area Friday, telling a lunchtime crowd at UC Berkeley that California "has the ability to take this election in a totally different direction.''

"This election is not over,'' Kucinich said to the 400 people gathered in the university's Sproul Plaza. "California can and will be heard from.''

Kucinich, whose outspoken anti-war, anti-corporate stance has struck a chord with the Democratic and progressive left, is...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:36 PM

 
Ohio congressman running for president to visit Point

By KATE GARSOMBKE
Journal staff


Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich will campaign Saturday in Stevens Point, bringing with him a musician known for his collaborations with the Dave Matthews Band.

Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, plans to arrive around 1:45 p.m. Saturday at the field house at Stevens Point Area Senior High, 1201 Northpoint Drive, said Ann Seidl, event coordinator for Kucinich's Wisconsin campaign. Prior to Kucinich's speech, guitarist Tim Reynolds will perform.

Kucinich consistently has recorded 1 percent to 3 percent of votes so far in state Democratic primaries and caucuses. However, his best showings occurred in the Feb. 7 Maine and Feb. 8 Washington primaries. He garnered 16 percent of Maine's votes and 8 percent of Washington's votes, coming in third in both states - above North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

Despite his finishes so far, Kucinich will continue to campaign until the Democratic convention, Seidl said. "Dennis is in it for the entire time," she said. "He is climbing in the polls, as evidenced by Washington and Maine."
Kucinich's visit will be part of a...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:33 PM

 
Hansen: Kucinich could be your perfect match
By MARC HANSEN
Register Columnist
02/12/2004 There's a cartoon in the Feb. 9 New Yorker showing the results of the "Mars Primary."

Dean has 3 percent. Kerry, Edwards, and Lieberman each has 1 percent of the vote. Clark and Sharpton each get half a percent.

Leading the pack, pulling 93 percent of the Martian total, is none other than Dennis Kucinich.

The joke isn't complicated. Kucinich is the candidate from outer space. Get it?

While down-to-earth Kerry has 516 of the 2,161 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination, out-in-orbit Kucinich has two more than you and me.

He came away with 1 percent of the caucus tally in Iowa, which has turned out to be a fairly typical performance across the country for the congressman from Ohio.

But here's the twist. If Kucinich is from Mars, a lot of Iowans are drifting closer to the red planet than they'd like to admit.

See, there's this Web site - presidentmatch.com - that can tell you which candidate is most in line with your own beliefs...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:31 PM

 
Kucinich Reaches Out to the Neglected
Primary Travels Will Focus On 'Other America'

By Evelyn Nieves
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 15, 2004; Page A05

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was 7 p.m., well into the killing hours at the Sunnydale Housing Project. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) had been whisked in the back of a van to the project's deadliest corner, the boundary between two warring gangs that police believe are responsible for eight or nine murders in the city so far this year...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:26 PM

 
Posted Feb. 15, 2004

Master guitarist sweetens deal for Kucinich backers

By Nathan Phelps
nphelps@greenbaypressgazette.com

The Dennis Kucinich campaign rolled into Green Bay Saturday with another supporter on board, guitar master Tim Reynolds.

Reynolds, a sometime collaborator with rock music star Dave Matthews, played a 25-minute set before the Democratic presidential hopeful spoke to a crowd of about 200 people Saturday.

Reynolds said the decision to support the congressman from Ohio was easy; snapping his fingers when asked how long his decision took...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:21 PM

 
Kucinich appeals to military families

Long-shot candidate says he’ll bring Iraq troops home quickly

By Nathan Phelps
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers

Ninety days is how long Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich says it will take to get U.S. troops out of Iraq after having the United Nations take over peacekeeping duties.

“It was wrong to go in and it’s wrong to stay,” he said before some 200 people in Ashwaubenon Saturday, just days before the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday. “I am running as the candidate to bring our troops home.”

Kucinich said...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:17 PM

 
Kucinich still on the trail, still full of hope
Despite trailing badly in primaries so far, Democratic candidate has faith that he can turn this race
By MEG KISSINGER
mkissinger@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Feb. 14, 2004

Green Bay - Dennis Kucinich is up on stage, his eyes closed, his arms outstretched, twirling slowly.

Don't laugh.

"I'll need quiet for this," he tells the crowd. "It takes concentration."

They oblige for a time, until someone in the second row figures out what the hippodrome is about and shouts it out.

"He's got no strings attached!" the man yells while the crowd cheers.

As the presidential campaign veers...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:10 PM

 
Kucinich keys on jobs, Iraq, health care

By Trudy Stewart
Central Wisconsin Sunday

STEVENS POINT - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich told about 250 people at a campaign rally Saturday that he sees three issues of great importance to Wisconsin voters at stake in Tuesday's presidential primary.

"Number one is the issue of jobs," Kucinich said during the rally, which was held at about 2 p.m. at Stevens Point Area Senior High School. "Wisconsin has lost thousands of jobs because of (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and (the World Trade Organization). I say those trade agreements have to go." The first thing he would do as president would be getting rid of NAFTA and the WTO, he said.

The second issue is the high cost of health care and the third is Iraq, said Kucinich, a Democratic congressman from Ohio.
The crowd began to stir and murmur when Kucinich predicted a return of the military draft by 2005.

"The only way we're going to...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:05 PM

 
Posted Feb. 15, 2004

Kucinich pushes for Iraq pullout at Green Bay stop

By Nathan Phelps
nphelps@greenbaypressgazette.com

Ninety days is how long Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich says it will take to get U.S. troops out of Iraq after having the United Nations take over peacekeeping duties.

?It was wrong to go in and it?s wrong to stay,? he said before some 200 people in Ashwaubenon on Saturday, just days before the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday. ?I am running as the candidate to bring our troops home.?

Kucinich said that under his plan, the U.S. would help subsidize a U.N. peacekeeping mission and reconstruction of the country while paying for the damage caused by the war.

Additionally, the U.N. would...(Full Story)
- posted by Daniel @ 3:01 PM