Hi all,

The vote to decide whether to even begin debating  the Senate health reform bill
is happening Sat. 8pm.  This version of the bill has a public option, saves
billions from the deficit, gets rid of the over restrictive language on abortion
the House bill has (and Obama indicated he will make sure is not in the final
bill) and covers most Americans.  There are some Dem "conservatives" that might
vote against even debating this bill and Reid mayl say he was forced to create a
weaker bill without a public option which will mean less savings and less people
fully covered.  We can't let that happen!

There are phone parties all over the country where people are calling people who
already support health care reform w/public option but need to be called to ask
them to call their Senators who are need to be pushed.  This is really easy to
do and can even be fun!

You can SIGN UP FOR PHONE PARTIES ANYWHERE IN US HERE
http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/ofavolunteer?source=www_navbar

but IF YOU ARE IN NYC I have a list of current ones BELOW THESE PETITIONS (the
NYC phone parties start Sat. afternoon and there other ones during the week and
you can sign up for other ones coming up.  Thanks, Cheryl

This is a good petition
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/lieberman_po/?r_by=-222685-zGTzMrx&rc=confem\
ail1

This is petition Harry Reid, the Senate leader himself wants you to sign to show
Dems in Senate how popular public option is.
http://www.harryreid.com/ee/index.php/publicoption

These are phone parties in NYC

Saturday, November 21 from 4pm - 8pm
Manhattan Phone Bank - Social Bar & Grill at 795 8th Ave (between 48th and 49th)
Join volunteers with Organizing for America as we call CT residents and urge
them to call Senator Lieberman and urge him to let a Senate health care reform
bill come to a final vote on the floor of the Senate.
Details and RSVP at: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpczbd

Saturday November 21, 12 – 5 PM
Queens County for Change weekly phone bank for health care
14-06 Merrick Blvd. RSVP to Bonty, bontyd@...

Monday, Nov. 23rd, 6-9 PM

Manhattan Phonebank
Committee of Interns and Residents, 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1200, at 37th St.
Reach out to progressive doctors in key states and encourage them to contact
their Senators. RSVP to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpcz95 or
pfry@...

Tuesday, Nov. 24th, 6-9 PM

Manhattan Phonebank
Committee of Interns and Residents, 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1200, at 37th St.
Reach out to progressive doctors in key states and encourage them to contact
their Senators. RSVP to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpcz97 or
pfry@...

Monday, Nov. 30th, 4- 9 PM
Manhattan Phonebank
Committee of Interns and Residents, 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1200, at 37th St.
Reach out to progressive doctors in key states and encourage them to contact
their Senators. RSVP to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpcz2d or
pfry@...


Join nycforchange's listserv by clicking here;
http://nycforchange.org/Events.html

check out all events here
http://nycforchange.org/Events.html

Please forward this email to a friend.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS147334+28-Oct-2009+PRN20091028
'THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH FOR MURDER' a Feature Length Documentary
Presented by NAFTC Studios
DETROIT, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH FOR MURDER
is based on the book "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder"by Vincent
Bugliosi (Vanguard Press), a New York Times hardcover bestseller.

Mr. Bugliosi and GWB, LLC formed a production company to produce the
documentary of his book. The film is Directed by David J. Burke, Produced by
Kip and Kern Konwiser and Executive Produced by Peter Miller.

IT IS SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE IN FEBRUARY, 2010.

TODAY, NAFTC STUDIOS PRESENTS AN APPROX. 9 MINUTE EXTENDED TRAILER
ATwww.indiegogo.com/bush  Please be kind enough to forward to friends &
colleagues.

In the spirit of grassroots political campaigns, THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W.
BUSH FOR MURDER team is starting this week on www.indiegogo.com/bush to raise
money from the public in small donations to help market this historic film.

The film is not only about the monumental crime committed by George W. Bush
and members of his administration in taking America to war in Iraq under false
pretenses (as Vince Bugliosi makes a strong case for in his book and the
movie).  It is equally about deterring future Presidents and their
administrations from knowingly going to war on a lie, because a Bush
prosecution will tell them that the law will be enforced and there will be
legal consequences. No one is above the law.

ABOUT VINCENT BUGLIOSI

Vincent Bugliosi received his law degree in 1964. In his career at the L.A.
County District Attorney's office, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106
felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss. His
most famous trial, the Charles Manson case, became the basis of his classic,
"Helter Skelter," the biggest selling true crime book in publishing history.
Two of Bugliosi's other books--"And the Sea Will Tell" and "Outrage"--also
reached #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. No other American
true-crime writer has ever had more than one book that achieved this ranking.
His latest book, "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F.
Kennedy," has been heralded as "epic" and "a book for the ages." Tom Hanks'
Playtone Productions is producing an 8 hour HBO mini-series on the book.

Bugliosi has uncommonly attained success in two separate and distinct fields,
as an author and a lawyer.  His excellence as a trial lawyer is best captured
in the judgment of his peers. "Bugliosi is as good a prosecutor as there ever
was," says renowned attorney and Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz. F. Lee
Bailey calls Bugliosi "the quintessential prosecutor." "There is only one
Vince Bugliosi. He's the best," says Robert Tanenbaum, for years the top
homicide prosecutor in the Manhattan D.A.'s office. Most telling is the
comment by Gerry Spence, who squared off against Bugliosi in a twenty-one-hour
televised, scriptless "docu-trial" of Lee Harvey Oswald, in which the original
key witnesses to the Kennedy assassination testified and were cross-examined.
After the Dallas jury returned a guilty verdict in Bugliosi's favor, Spence
said, "No other lawyer in America could have done what Vince did in this
case."

NAFTC STUDIOS is a Michigan based company with a new multimedia production
facility being built in Windsor/Essex County, Ontario, Canada.
www.naftcstudios.com




SOURCE  NAFTC Studios

Jim Shaban of NAFTC Studios, +1-519-739-3912, jim_shaban@...

Hi all,

Happy Thanksgiving!  Now if you want a happy health care future for yourself and
other Americans, please sign at least one petition (the first one, if you
haven't already signed it  http://action.firedoglake.com/reconciliation, and you
can bookmark the others if you want to sign them later), and if you can, please
participate easy phone event to supporters in vulnerable states, and mark
calendar for Dec. 8th Move On Health Care Rallies all around the country. 
Thanks and please spread the word (by forwarding, etc.), Cheryl

Because of current Senate rules, a few corrupt Democrats can thwart the will of
the majority, because it takes 60 votes (out of a hundred) to stop a Republican
filibuster.

Senate majority leader Reid can (1) use a procedure called "reconciliation" to 
have a majority vote on the public option; (2) reduce the number of votes
requiring stopping a filibuster to 55.; and, of course,(3) Reid can use the
stick of taking away chairmanships to get people in line to vote for cloture
(ending a filibuster).  Here are petitions for these three maneuvers.

If you ONLY have TIME FOR ONE PETITION, PLEASE JUST DO THE FIRST ONE (you can
also BOOKMARK the other two and do them later)--there is a space for COMMENTS,
you could MENTION THE TWO OTHER IDEAS OR WHATEVER ELSE IN THIS SPACE.

but if you don't have time, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WRITE ANYTHING EXTRA!
(1) Reconciliation http://action.firedoglake.com/reconciliation

if you have TIME FOR A SECOND PETITION, PLEASE DO THIS ONE
(2) Reducing the number of votes to stop a filibuster to 55 (I believe we have
56 votes for health care reform w/public option now, and this number has been
changed before, once it was 67 before it was reduced to 60
http://stopsenatestalling.com/

and if you have TIME FOR A THIRD YOU CAN DO THIS ONE
(3) Punishing members by taking away chairmanships, etc
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/lieberman_po/?r_by=-222685-zGTzMrx&rc=confem\
ail1

(4) Also, urgent easy CALLS need to be made to supporters in the states of
Senators who have threatened to not stop a Republican filibuster.

YOU CAN JUST DROP IN FOR A SHORT TIME, you can arrive late and leave early, for
example for an hour, half hour, whatever...

Please make sure, no matter what the script says that you tell them that the
Senator they call should support the current health care reform bill with public
option and current language about abortion.

If you are not in NYC. try this link to sign up.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/user/login?

If you are in NYC or know someone who is, here is a list for upcoming phone
events

This week's NYC phone bank--from Sat. on and Move On Rallies Dec. 8th (and
instructions on bottom to sign up for more after this) or click here
http://nycforchange.org/Events.html

Sat. Nov. 28th:  Fight For Healthcare Reform Phonebank
11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club at 304 West 231st
Street (between Tibbett and Irwin). Bring your cell phone & charger, your energy
and your enthusiasm. RSVP Gene at Bruisevane@.... Sponsored by Northwest
Bronx for Change.
Mon. Nov 30th:  Manhattan Phonebank
4-9 PM. 520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1200, NY, NY 10018. Coordinated by Committee of
Interns and Residents.
Reach out to progressive doctors in key states and encourage them to contact
their Senators. RSVP MyBO
Mon. Nov 30th:  UWS Phonebank
6-8 PM. Home of Arlene Geiger, 240 West 98th Street Apt 7E. RSVP Arlene at
Ageiger3@...
Wed. Dec. 2: Lobby in DC
Meet with Members of Congress in Washington, D.C. to lobby against the Stupak
amendment with Raising Women's Voices. To sign up, email Eesha at
eesha@...
Saturday, Dec. 5: Manhattan OFA Volunteer Training
11 AM - 3 PM. Dixon Place Theatre, 161A Chrystie Street. Join OFA's effort to
help change the way politics is done in America. This four hour volunteer
training session will be facilitated by staff and volunteer leaders. For
experienced and new volunteers. RSVP to
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpc8y2
Sunday, Dec. 6: Brooklyn OFA Volunteer Training
10 AM - 2 PM, St. Francis College, 180 Remsen St. Classrooms 4303 and 4304. RSVP
to http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpczbp
Save the Date: December 8th rallies

MOVE ON IS SPONSORING VIGILS to shine a spotlight on Americans who can't afford
to pay their medical bills and are being forced into bankruptcy. Come show the
Senate that we can't afford to wait for change -- and the pressure is on them to
pass health care reform with a robust national public option this year.

If you are NOT in NYC, please check for rallies around the country on Dec 8th at
http://www.moveon.org/ (check this link closer to the date for into about the
rallies)

Manhattan, 6 PM, Times Square, Broadway & 46th St; nycforchange's Tim Foley to
speak. Sign Up: http://pol.moveon.org/event/costofdelay/99753

Bronx, 5:30 PM, Bronx County Court Bldg, 851 Grand Concourse (161 St.); Sign Up:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/costofdelay/99760

Brooklyn, 5 PM, Clinton St & 280 Cadman Plaza West; Sign Up:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/costofdelay/99782

Queens, 6 PM, Outside shopping areas on 8801 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst; Sign Up:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/costofdelay/99773

Staten Island, 6 PM, SI Borough Hall steps-Richmond Terrace; Sign Up:
http://pol.moveon.org/event/costofdelay/99764

   Join nycforchange's listserv by clicking here:
http://nycforchange.org/Contact_Us.html ; check out all events here
http://nycforchange.org/Events.html

(I often send this stuff out late and new stuff comes up so it's worth signing
up or checking the events page when you get a chance rather than just relying on
me--thanks, Cheryl)

THANKS AND PLEASE FORWARD OR SPREAD THE WORD IN SOME OTHER WAY!


  ,

Anthony Weiner just linked the insurance companies threatening to raise prices
if we pass health care reform, to proving the need for a robust public option to
keep the costs to the consumer and govt. of health care insurance low!  Please
do AT LEAST ONE of these actions (at least THE FIRST ONE, which is the easiest
and very important) and forward, thanks, Cheryl

--PLEASE QUICKLY SIGN THIS (easy sign up, just name, email and zip)
http://boldprogressives.org/majorityvote/p-fb-typ

This is a great idea! We have 60 Democrat Senators. All we need is all 60 to not
allow a Republican fillibuster of a strong progressive health care reform. Then
all we need is a majority--51--to pass it. What is the point of being a Democrat
if you can't even repulse a Republican fillibuster? Otherwise, strip them of
leadership and vote them out! It's time we started playing hardball to give
Americans what they deserve!
http://boldprogressives.org/majorityvote/p-fb-typ

--IF YOU HAVE TIME FOR A SECOND PETITION to help progresives continue to push
for a public option
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/activities/213-the-progressive-block-stands-u\
nited

--You also might want to go to one of these PHONE BANKING OR RALLY events near
you
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple

--Move On is also having RALLIES Wed, the 13th
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=191

I know of this one in NYC
Union Square - SW Corner, 14th Street & Broadway - SW Corner (Map)
New York, NY 10001
Wednesday, October 14th, 4:30 PM
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=99042&id=&t=3&id=17489-71\
45949-WrVRCZx&t=2

--Would you or a friend like to WIN A CONTEST ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM for Obama
http://my.barackobama.com/VideoChallenge

Thanks,
Cheryl

http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/papubopt2

The Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on the Public Option tomorrow.
Without the Public Option, healthcare reform is little more than a huge give
away to the insurance industry

Keystone Progress has created a simple tool that will allow you to fax EVERY
member of the Finance Committee with one click of your mouse.
http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/papubopt2

[If you don't want to send to all of them by checking all the boxes at least
check on the key blue dog dems that Robert Reich lays out, Baucus, Menendez,
Carper, Nelson,Conrad, along w/Snow]
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/09/28/reich/

Please click here to send this simple message:  "Vote yes on the Public Option."

http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/papubopt2

That's all they need to read from us.  But if you want to write more, you can
write your own statement on  our site.

Please take two minutes to write to any or all of the Finance Committee NOW! 
Then forward this to everyone you know and ask them to do the same.

http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/papubopt2

Together, we can win!

Michael Morrill
Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/keystoneprogres

Evidence that the world trade center buildings were brought down by controlled demolition, in 7 min. video: YouTube - Richard Gage on KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, CA

===

You'd think that after all the press coverage that global warming has received that the public would be pretty well educated on exactly how fast we need to install clean power to avert an irreversible climate disaster. But the public has no clue.

As far as I know, only one member of the press has asked the right questions to figure it out: Joshua Green, a senior editor of The Atlantic Monthly. Green wrote a great piece in the current issue entitled "The Elusive Green Economy." It's long but it's a great read. Green points out that the IPCC set 450ppm as a level we shouldn't exceed because otherwise climate change becomes both irreversible and catastrophic. But at the very end of his article is the real gem. He points out that we need to develop 13,000 GWe of carbon-free power (within the next 25 years) if we're to limit atmospheric carbon concentration to 450 ppm. Australian climate scientist Barry Brook was kind enough to double check the math and came up with a similar figure. I also ran it by a top scientist at DOE and he didn't even raise an eyebrow when I quoted that figure. It is also about the same as the 11,500 GWe that Saul Griffith derived. Green next points out that current global solar-power production today is only 10 GWe. In fact, in 2008, the peak solar capacity was 13.4GWe, but the average powered delivered was only 2 GWe. Yikes!

Compare that 2 GWe to the 13,000 GWe we need and you get a sense for the magnitude of the task ahead of us. The point is this: after decades of installing renewable power, we are nowhere close to making a small dent in the problem. In other words, if we think we are going to make the goal from solar, wind, and other renewables alone, we must be smoking something. And even if we added the big elephant of clean power, nuclear power, which can be installed in huge capacities relatively quickly when the political winds are blowing in the right direction, this is still an almost insurmountable goal. That's why at the Aspen Energy Forum held earlier this year, all of the renewable experts agreed that every clean power technology, including nuclear, has to play a role in solving the climate crisis.

I'd like to give you a sense for what that 13,000 GWe figure means. Let's be generous and assume we have 30 years to install the 13 GWe of power we need. If we were to build a large nuclear plant every single day for the next 30 years, that would still not be enough to avert the 450ppm limit.

Without nuclear as part of the mix, it's even harder and it's also a lot more expensive to meet the goal. We would have to be installing more than 1,500 large (2 MW, with enormous 100m diameter blades) wind turbines every day for 30 years. If we used desert-based concentrated solar thermal (which is much more efficient than solar photovoltaic), we'd have to install 80,000 huge 37 foot diameter dishes covering over 100 square miles every day for 30 years. Or some combination of those two. And then we'd have to cost effectively store a lot of that power and deliver it when it is needed so you have reliable base load power all without generating any CO2 emissions. Storage is less of a problem with wind if you have a huge geographic area (which we have in the US), you massively overbuild to account for the unpredictability of wind, and you have a national transmission grid so you can move huge amounts of power when and where it is needed (which we don't have). And even with all of that in place, it's still not a guarantee that you won't have power outages when the wind is particularly low. With solar, to supply base load power, you'd need something like what Ausra is doing where they store power for up to 16 hours. Andasol uses such a thermal storage system and its electricity will cost 38 cents per kWh to produce, which makes it nearly 10 times more expensive than nuclear or coal.

We aren't anywhere close to installing clean power of any type that fast. Not only are we not doing it, but we aren't even close to just talking about the need to install power that fast!

Furthermore, our best nuclear technology, according to a multi-year multi-national study commissioned by the DOE, is the technology Clinton cancelled in 1994. This design (the Integral Fast Reactor) remains on the shelf today, collecting dust, despite the fact that it can produce power cheaper than coal, is 100 times more efficient than today's nuclear technology, and can consume our nuclear waste and generate power from it (virtually solving our nuclear waste problem). Other countries want to build that design because it is safer, cheaper, and more proliferation resistant than the nuclear plants they have now (and because it gets rid of their nuclear waste). But we won't let them. Where is our sense of urgency?

Doesn't anyone get it?!?!

Have you ever in your life heard any politician mention how insanely fast we need to install new clean power on the planet to meet the 450ppm goal? I sure haven't. And none of the environmental groups will tell you that. They don't give you any numbers at all. Al Gore never mentioned it either.

The best job of public truth telling on how aggressively we have to build clean power that I've seen so far doesn't come from an environmental group at all.

Saul Griffith's Wattzon Game Plan does a great job of giving concrete examples of how fast we need to move to save the planet. Just watch the last 14 minutes of his highly entertaining Scarcity and Abundance video.

The "Climate Change" page of the upcoming State of the World Forum also does a great job of laying out the need to act a lot more aggressively than our political leaders would have us believe. Here are a couple of excerpts from their climate change page:

It is for these and other reasons that when he accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Head of the IPCC, said "If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment." Thousands of scientists around the world agree. Lester Brown states bluntly that we are facing the demise of human civilization itself if we do not take action now.

Even more troubling is that reality that even if the governments are successful reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, this accomplishment would be essentially irrelevant to dealing with global warming in any meaningful way. A recent study by MIT states that if all the governments completely fulfill their current promises, which essentially are pointed toward reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, we will have reached over 600 ppm of CO2 by then and global temperatures will have risen at least 4 degrees Celsius.

This contradiction between what the governments are negotiating and what the science says is the most crucial fact in the climate change crisis today.

We do not have until 2050 to reduce our carbon emissions by 80%. We need to do this by 2020 and we only have until 2012 to make perhaps the most obvious decision in human history. Yet not a single government in the world is willing to recognize the obvious.  Dr. Pachauri recently stated that the governments are engaging in "tragic inaction."  Never before has there been a such a dearth of imagination, courage and leadership.

We believe that the world must mobilize around what is scientifically urgent, not around what is politically expedient.

What our governments are negotiating for 2050 must be accomplished by 2020. 

So let me be real clear. Here are five key things that I think every American should know about the climate crisis:

1. If we are to have any hope of avoiding a climate crisis, we have to be installing about 1 GW of new clean power somewhere in the world every single day for the next 30 years.

2. We are nowhere close to that rate today.

3. All options for clean power have to be on the table.

4. Based on today's technologies and costs, our best chance of getting anywhere close to that rate (and at a cost we can afford) is to aggressively install lots of nuclear power as the centerpiece of that strategy.

5. Our single best clean power technology, the Integral Fast Reactor, remains sitting on the shelf in a government research lab in Idaho, collecting dust. Ray Hunter, the former Deputy Director of the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology at DOE is furious about this, by the way.

The sooner we realize the magnitude of the solution and start acting on it, the better our chances of saving the planet.

It's time to stop putting our head in the sand thinking that cap and trade and the House energy bill is going to solve the climate crisis. It's not going to make much of a dent. In fact, because it allows existing coal plants to continue operating, it actually makes things worse, not better. In Japan when they adopted cap and trade: their emissions have continued to increase. Canada adopted a straightforward carbon tax and its working. Yet our Congress thinks it is better for the country to adopt a system that hasn't worked anywhere in the world for reducing CO2 emissions than to copy a system that works. Go figure.

Senator Lamar Alexander is the member of Congress who is the closest to advocating what is needed. He's advocating building 100 new nuclear power plants in the US over the next 20 years. That's still not nearly enough, but it would be a good start. Nobody else in Congress is advocating anything close to that.

I'm waiting for a member of Congress to tell Senator Alexander that he's seriously underestimating the magnitude of the problem; that there are over 1,500 coal power plants in America and we need to put the pedal to the metal and install at least 1,000 new nuclear power plants in the US over the next 20 years, not 100. When that happens, we'll have a chance.

Today, we have complacency where we should be having a sense of urgency. After all, even if we deploy all the King's soldiers and and all the King's men, it's not clear at all we can run fast enough to save the planet.

One thing's for sure: we are never ever going to get there at the snail's pace we are on now.

Who will be the first one to tell America the truth about how fast we need to be installing clean power to save our planet?

Please sign and forward.  Don't let the crazies and greedy insurance creeps take
away our public option!  Obama's just testing the waters and we have to say "no!
we won't take it"  --try to put a few of your own words in it, including subject
line.  Thanks, Cheryl!
http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/papubopt

Friend:

Meaningful healthcare reform is on the ropes! And it's partially our fault. The
insurance industry and their supporters are organizing effectively, sending huge
numbers of
letters and emails to Congress, and sending people to town hall meetings to
stifle other voices.

The result? Our elected officials are running for cover on the public option.

Polls show that we are still in the majority on public option, but as the old
saying goes "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."  Right now our opponents are
squeakier.  We can't let them defeat meaningful healthcare reform simply by
being louder.

We can still win a public option, but it will take serious work on our part. 
Will you renew your commitment to this effort by taking action right now?

First, click here to send emails to your U.S. Senators and Representative that
we need to have a public option as the minimum for meaningful healthcare reform.
http://www.keystoneprogress.org/page/speakout/papubopt

It takes less than a minute if you use the draft letter we've provided for you
on the site.

Then, forward this e-mail to everyone you know and ask them to take action too.
We need to be "Fired up and ready to go!" for healthcare.  I am.  Are you?

In Solidarity,
Michael Morrill
Keystone Progress
www.keystoneprogress.org

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keystoneprogres

Subject: Fwd: Something Worth Forwarding on Healthcare Reform
To: Full-Time Professors

Dear Colleagues,

Because this issue pertains to a debate about pending legislation that
goes beyond partisan politics (or should, anyway), I think it
appropriate to forward this for whatever interest it may have to many
of you.

Of course, critics of the President's health care reform proposals
should feel equally free to forward their views.

But in view of the astonishingly malicious lies and myths that have
been spread about this pending legislation, I think a special burden
falls upon law professors to propagate responsible and truthful debate
about this proposal -- surely one of the most important pieces of
proposed federal legislation in the past 50 years -- and a proposal in
which millions of Americans have a very profound interest.

Best,


---------- Forwarded message ----------

Dear Friend,

This is probably one of the longest emails I've ever sent, but it
could be the most important.

Across the country we are seeing vigorous debate about health
insurance reform. Unfortunately, some of the old tactics we know so
well are back — even the viral emails that fly unchecked and under the
radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.

As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, "where we
do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild
misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's
actually been proposed."

So let's start a chain email of our own. At the end of my email,
you'll find a lot of information about health insurance reform,
distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those
with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we
need health insurance reform now.

Right now, someone you know probably has a question about reform that
could be answered by what's below. So what are you waiting for?
Forward this email.

Thanks,
David

David Axelrod
Senior Adviser to the President

P.S. We launched www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck this week to knock
down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You
can find the information below, and much more, there. For example,
we've just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform
Office tackling a viral email head on. Check it out:


8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage:

Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies
will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical
history.

Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays:
Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they
can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully
cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you
prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for
diabetics.

Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will
be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for
those who become seriously ill.

Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited
from charging you more because of your gender.

Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be
prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you
receive.

Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be
eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.

Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to
renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in
full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because
someone became sick.

Learn more and get details:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/?e=11&ref=hicp

8 common myths about health insurance reform

Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It's a myth that
reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to
"rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of
rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.

We can't afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It's a
myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President
has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs
by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health
programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing
efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining
paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that
will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.

Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It's a malicious
myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for
seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and
physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover
these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with
these personal and difficult family decisions.

Vets' health care is safe and sound: It's a myth that health insurance
reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the
contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under
the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously
excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for
all eligible veterans.

Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It's a myth that
health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary,
reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits
to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing
field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on
average.

Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It's myth that Health
Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To
the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of
Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary
subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare
"doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for
seniors.

You can keep your own insurance: It's myth that reform will force you
out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To
the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.

No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an
absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts.
Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier
and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose.
Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by
traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will
be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up
to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all
other electronic payments that people make.

Learn more and get details:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/?e=11&ref=myth1

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq/?e=11&ref=myth1

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now

Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that
12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to
purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the
individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against
because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or
dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn
more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html

Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying
more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance
premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster
than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased
through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a
full-time minimum wage job.  Americans pay more than ever for health
insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more:
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html

Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women's reproductive health requires
more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap
smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to
report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of
chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are
similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and
are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic
conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up
care. Learn more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html

Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are
nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care.
The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of
poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary
health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic
downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health
disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural
communities. Learn more:
http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes/

Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third
of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with
less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of
non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell
from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The
percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to
59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such
workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through
a spouse. Learn
more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline/

The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at
least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly
couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not
covered by Medicare alone. Learn
more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/
Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of
non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell
from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people - one in every three
Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007
and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families.
Learn more:http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html

The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will
continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families,
businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most
visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million
Americans currently without health insurance - projections suggest
that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence
of reform. Learn
more:http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf?e=11&\
ref=report

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111
  Reply
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show details 7:30 PM (6 hours ago)
Dear Friends and Colleagues:

It must be added that one especially poisonous and outrageous
falsehood being spread about the President's health reform proposal --
one spread, astonishingly, by a person with the stature of 2008
Vice-Presidential Nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- is
that the proposal would somehow harm or deny care to disabled children
(such as Gov. Palin's Down Syndrome baby).

One of my own nephews (my first cousin's son) is a Down Syndrome
child. The idea of someone using the plight of Down Syndrome children
as a political weapon to falsely and maliciously attack a serious
legislative proposal -- and to maliciously defame the President of the
United States -- angers and amazes me. Gov. Palin should be deeply
ashamed.

Call me naive, but I never thought American politics would reach the
point of such malicious, sinister, and irresponsible attacks and
claims.

The truth (of course) is that the President's health reform proposal
would greatly BENEFIT and PROTECT Down Syndrome and other disabled
children. Among other things, it would guarantee the right to purchase
and retain health insurance without discrimination based upon
pre-existing conditions (which include many childhood disabilities).
And it would vastly expand access to insurance for millions of
Americans, especially helpful to Americans, young and old, with
disabilities of various kinds.

Just say no to malicious lies which degrade the political discourse of
our nation.

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder
by JEREMY SCAHILL

August 4, 2009

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A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security
operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn
statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim
that the company's owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the
murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities
investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince "views
himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic
faith from the globe," and that Prince's companies "encouraged and rewarded the
destruction of Iraqi life."
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Blackwater or Murder, Inc.? BLACKWATER
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possibility that Blackwater operatives killed civilians as practice, the picture
of the military contractor gets darker by the day.
Will Blackwater Founder Face Charges? BLACKWATER
GRIT TV : Erik Prince has been implicated in murder, viewed himself as a
Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims from the globe and his
company smuggled weapons into Iraq.
Blackwater's Dark Deeds Exposed BLACKWATER
COUNTDOWN : The Nation's Jeremy Scahill on his explosive revelation that
Blackwater's founder has been accused, in sworn depositions from two former
employees, of murder.
» More
In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons
into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting
"illegal" or "unlawful" weapons into the country on Prince's private planes.
They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed
incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived
the US State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two
individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.
These allegations, and a series of other charges, are contained in sworn
affidavits, given under penalty of perjury, filed late at night on August 3 in
the Eastern District of Virginia as part of a seventy-page motion by lawyers for
Iraqi civilians suing Blackwater for alleged war crimes and other misconduct.
Susan Burke, a private attorney working in conjunction with the Center for
Constitutional Rights, is suing Blackwater in five separate civil cases filed in
the Washington, DC, area. They were recently consolidated before Judge T.S.
Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia for pretrial motions. Burke filed
the August 3 motion in response to Blackwater's motion to dismiss the case.
Blackwater asserts that Prince and the company are innocent of any wrongdoing
and that they were professionally performing their duties on behalf of their
employer, the US State Department.
The former employee, identified in the court documents as "John Doe #2," is a
former member of Blackwater's management team, according to a source close to
the case. Doe #2 alleges in a sworn declaration that, based on information
provided to him by former colleagues, "it appears that Mr. Prince and his
employees murdered, or had murdered, one or more persons who have provided
information, or who were planning to provide information, to the federal
authorities about the ongoing criminal conduct." John Doe #2 says he worked at
Blackwater for four years; his identity is concealed in the sworn declaration
because he "fear[s] violence against me in retaliation for submitting this
Declaration." He also alleges, "On several occasions after my departure from Mr.
Prince's employ, Mr. Prince's management has personally threatened me with death
and violence."
In a separate sworn statement, the former US marine who worked for Blackwater in
Iraq alleges that he has "learned from my Blackwater colleagues and former
colleagues that one or more persons who have provided information, or who were
planning to provide information about Erik Prince and Blackwater have been
killed in suspicious circumstances." Identified as "John Doe #1," he says he
"joined Blackwater and deployed to Iraq to guard State Department and other
American government personnel." It is not clear if Doe #1 is still working with
the company as he states he is "scheduled to deploy in the immediate future to
Iraq." Like Doe #2, he states that he fears "violence" against him for
"submitting this Declaration." No further details on the alleged murder(s) are
provided.
"Mr. Prince feared, and continues to fear, that the federal authorities will
detect and prosecute his various criminal deeds," states Doe #2. "On more than
one occasion, Mr. Prince and his top managers gave orders to destroy emails and
other documents. Many incriminating videotapes, documents and emails have been
shredded and destroyed."
The Nation cannot independently verify the identities of the two individuals,
their roles at Blackwater or what motivated them to provide sworn testimony in
these civil cases. Both individuals state that they have previously cooperated
with federal prosecutors conducting a criminal inquiry into Blackwater.
"It's a pending investigation, so we cannot comment on any matters in front of a
Grand Jury or if a Grand Jury even exists on these matters," John Roth, the
spokesperson for the US Attorney's office in the District of Columbia, told The
Nation. "It would be a crime if we did that." Asked specifically about whether
there is a criminal investigation into Prince regarding the murder allegations
and other charges, Roth said: "We would not be able to comment on what we are or
are not doing in regards to any possible investigation involving an uncharged
individual."
The Nation repeatedly attempted to contact spokespeople for Prince or his
companies at numerous email addresses and telephone numbers. When a company
representative was reached by phone and asked to comment, she said,
"Unfortunately no one can help you in that area." The representative then said
that she would pass along The Nation's request. As this article goes to press,
no company representative has responded further to The Nation.
Doe #2 states in the declaration that he has also provided the information
contained in his statement "in grand jury proceedings convened by the United
States Department of Justice." Federal prosecutors convened a grand jury in the
aftermath of the September 16, 2007, Nisour Square shootings in Baghdad, which
left seventeen Iraqis dead. Five Blackwater employees are awaiting trial on
several manslaughter charges and a sixth, Jeremy Ridgeway, has already pleaded
guilty to manslaughter and attempting to commit manslaughter and is cooperating
with prosecutors. It is not clear whether Doe #2 testified in front of the
Nisour Square grand jury or in front of a separate grand jury.
The two declarations are each five pages long and contain a series of
devastating allegations concerning Erik Prince and his network of companies,
which now operate under the banner of Xe Services LLC. Among those leveled by
Doe #2 is that Prince "views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with
eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe":
To that end, Mr. Prince intentionally deployed to Iraq certain men who shared
his vision of Christian supremacy, knowing and wanting these men to take every
available opportunity to murder Iraqis. Many of these men used call signs based
on the Knights of the Templar, the warriors who fought the Crusades.
Mr. Prince operated his companies in a manner that encouraged and rewarded the
destruction of Iraqi life. For example, Mr. Prince's executives would openly
speak about going over to Iraq to "lay Hajiis out on cardboard." Going to Iraq
to shoot and kill Iraqis was viewed as a sport or game. Mr. Prince's employees
openly and consistently used racist and derogatory terms for Iraqis and other
Arabs, such as "ragheads" or "hajiis."
Among the additional allegations made by Doe #1 is that "Blackwater was
smuggling weapons into Iraq." He states that he personally witnessed weapons
being "pulled out" from dog food bags. Doe #2 alleges that "Prince and his
employees arranged for the weapons to be polywrapped and smuggled into Iraq on
Mr. Prince's private planes, which operated under the name Presidential
Airlines," adding that Prince "generated substantial revenues from participating
in the illegal arms trade."
Doe #2 states: "Using his various companies, [Prince] procured and distributed
various weapons, including unlawful weapons such as sawed off semi-automatic
machine guns with silencers, through unlawful channels of distribution."
Blackwater "was not abiding by the terms of the contract with the State
Department and was deceiving the State Department," according to Doe #1.
This is not the first time an allegation has surfaced that Blackwater used dog
food bags to smuggle weapons into Iraq. ABC News's Brian Ross reported in
November 2008 that a "federal grand jury in North Carolina is investigating
allegations the controversial private security firm Blackwater illegally shipped
assault weapons and silencers to Iraq, hidden in large sacks of dog food."
Another former Blackwater employee has also confirmed this information to The
Nation.
Both individuals allege that Prince and Blackwater deployed individuals to Iraq
who, in the words of Doe #1, "were not properly vetted and cleared by the State
Department." Doe #2 adds that "Prince ignored the advice and pleas from certain
employees, who sought to stop the unnecessary killing of innocent Iraqis." Doe
#2 further states that some Blackwater officials overseas refused to deploy
"unfit men" and sent them back to the US. Among the reasons cited by Doe #2 were
"the men making statements about wanting to deploy to Iraq to 'kill ragheads' or
achieve 'kills' or 'body counts,'" as well as "excessive drinking" and "steroid
use." However, when the men returned to the US, according to Doe #2, "Prince and
his executives would send them back to be deployed in Iraq with an express
instruction to the concerned employees located overseas that they needed to
'stop costing the company money.'"
Doe #2 also says Prince "repeatedly ignored the assessments done by mental
health professionals, and instead terminated those mental health professionals
who were not willing to endorse deployments of unfit men." He says Prince and
then-company president Gary Jackson "hid from Department of State the fact that
they were deploying men to Iraq over the objections of mental health
professionals and security professionals in the field," saying they "knew the
men being deployed were not suitable candidates for carrying lethal weaponry,
but did not care because deployments meant more money."
Doe #1 states that "Blackwater knew that certain of its personnel intentionally
used excessive and unjustified deadly force, and in some instances used
unauthorized weapons, to kill or seriously injure innocent Iraqi civilians." He
concludes, "Blackwater did nothing to stop this misconduct." Doe #1 states that
he "personally observed multiple incidents of Blackwater personnel intentionally
using unnecessary, excessive and unjustified deadly force." He then cites
several specific examples of Blackwater personnel firing at civilians, killing
or "seriously" wounding them, and then failing to report the incidents to the
State Department.
Doe #1 also alleges that "all of these incidents of excessive force were
initially videotaped and voice recorded," but that "Immediately after the day
concluded, we would watch the video in a session called a 'hot wash.'
Immediately after the hotwashing, the video was erased to prevent anyone other
than Blackwater personnel seeing what had actually occurred." Blackwater, he
says, "did not provide the video to the State Department."
Doe #2 expands on the issue of unconventional weapons, alleging Prince "made
available to his employees in Iraq various weapons not authorized by the United
States contracting authorities, such as hand grenades and hand grenade
launchers. Mr. Prince's employees repeatedly used this illegal weaponry in Iraq,
unnecessarily killing scores of innocent Iraqis." Specifically, he alleges that
Prince "obtained illegal ammunition from an American company called LeMas. This
company sold ammunition designed to explode after penetrating within the human
body. Mr. Prince's employees repeatedly used this illegal ammunition in Iraq to
inflict maximum damage on Iraqis."
Blackwater has gone through an intricate rebranding process in the twelve years
it has been in business, changing its name and logo several times. Prince also
has created more than a dozen affiliate companies, some of which are registered
offshore and whose operations are shrouded in secrecy. According to Doe #2,
"Prince created and operated this web of companies in order to obscure
wrongdoing, fraud and other crimes."
"For example, Mr. Prince transferred funds from one company (Blackwater) to
another (Greystone) whenever necessary to avoid detection of his money
laundering and tax evasion schemes." He added: "Mr. Prince contributed his
personal wealth to fund the operations of the Prince companies whenever he
deemed such funding necessary. Likewise, Mr. Prince took funds out of the Prince
companies and placed the funds in his personal accounts at will."
Briefed on the substance of these allegations by The Nation, Congressman Dennis
Kucinich replied, "If these allegations are true, Blackwater has been a criminal
enterprise defrauding taxpayers and murdering innocent civilians." Kucinich is
on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and has been
investigating Prince and Blackwater since 2004.
"Blackwater is a law unto itself, both internationally and domestically. The
question is why they operated with impunity. In addition to Blackwater, we
should be questioning their patrons in the previous administration who funded
and employed this organization. Blackwater wouldn't exist without federal
patronage; these allegations should be thoroughly investigated," Kucinich said.
A hearing before Judge Ellis in the civil cases against Blackwater is scheduled
for August 7.
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About Jeremy Scahill
Jeremy Scahill, a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute, is
the author of the bestselling Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful
Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. He is an award-winning investigative
journalist and correspondent for the national radio and TV program Democracy
Now!. more...