Vets For Freedom NewsLadder Is Up. It's Fair And Balanced (Really).

by: Dave Johnson and James Boyce

Wed Jul 23, 2008 at 09:28:37 AM MDT

Sierra Club Report Card for 2008 Legislative Session

by: Zelph

Wed Jul 09, 2008 at 21:52:18 PM MDT

House Report Card

Senate Report Card

Governor's Report Card

Why McCain Was Against Torture Before He Was For It

by: Dale Overhill

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 21:53:29 PM MDT

"The military trainers who came to Guantánamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of 'coercive management techniques' for possible use on prisoners, including 'sleep deprivation,' 'prolonged constraint,' and 'exposure.'

What the trainers did not say, and may not have known, was that their chart had been copied verbatim from a 1957 Air Force study of Chinese Communist techniques used during the Korean War to obtain confessions, many of them false, from American prisoners."

Utah Democratic Candidate Takes a Stand Against Telco Immunity

by: The SideTrack

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 01:51:20 AM MDT

Morgan is the Democratic candidate for Utah's first congressional district, a seat currently held by school voucher supporting, "drill here, drill now" parroting, warrantless wiretap backing Rob Bishop. In addition to the 2/1 odds Morgan faces unseating the corporate funded incumbent, he also faces a battle with in-state leadership as a result of Rep. Jim Matheson, our only sitting Democrat, and faithful Blue Dog.  

Stop Jan Brewer's Power Play on Overseas Military Vote

by: AZpassionpol

Sat Jun 28, 2008 at 15:18:16 PM MDT

As Brad Friedman quoted independent security experts "We believe that overseas voters deserve at least as much protection when they vote as when they purchase a book from Amazon...Our service people should not be voting on a system that creates risks of identity theft, hacking, and vote tampering and which requires voters to relinquish their right to a secret ballot." See Brad's post DOD's new voting scheme: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3665.

Action Step:
Call the Governor at 602-542-4331, 1-(800) 253-0883 or email governor at http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp now.
Ask her to reject the SOS election procedures manual with this new Uniformed Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) procedure to route all internet military and overseas voting through the SOS office and keep it at the county level. Also, demand safeguards so that there is integrity for the overseas and military voters when they do email their votes and that these votes cannot be viewed by commanding officers or others, intercepted or delayed.
 

Help Expand the Map of Competitive U.S. Senate Races

by: Senate Guru

Sat Jun 28, 2008 at 23:32:50 PM MDT

It is critical that we expand our majority in the U.S. Senate to reduce this historic rate of Republican obstructionism, so that an Obama administration can proceed with an agenda that helps rather than hinders American progress.  I have been following this on my blog, Senate Guru, very closely and have been pushing for us to expand the map of competitive Senate races.

To that end, I have established the Expand the Map! ActBlue page, raising much needed funds for Democratic Senate candidates in uphill but competitive (or very-close-to-competitive) Senate races.  Every one of these Democratic Senate candidates who wins her or his race means one less Republican filibustering progressive legislation.  And every one of these Democratic Senate candidates has a message that will resonate with voters - all they need are the resources to get their messages out to the electorate and prevent the Republican incumbents from muddying their records.

With Monday night being the deadline for the second fundraising quarter of 2008, it is critical that we get funds in to help these Democratic candidates show strength.  So, please, please, please contribute if you can to any of the terrific candidates for Senate on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.  Even though these candidates don't represent your state, if elected, they will defeat the Republican obstructionism that very much impacts you and your state.

That's Not a President We Can Rely On!

by: Zelph

Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 15:29:12 PM MDT

The grand opening of John McCain's presidential regional campaign headquarters is today.  Let's show up to greet him from 5:00pm to 7:30pm and let him know what we think about his candidacy.

Meet the new headquarters, same as the old headquarters.

For those of you who have protested outside of McCain's congressional office before, his new presidential campaign headquarters should be easy to find since it's at the very same location, 5353 N. 16th Street, Phoenix (just south of Missouri on 16th Street).

As cpmaz notes at Random Musings:

That should be convenient for his taxpayer-paid staffers who want to violate the Hatch Act by engaging in campaign activities while on the federal clock volunteer for the presidential campaign in their spare time.

For more info call Aaron at the Arizona Democratic Party: (602) 298-4200.

Bring sunscreen and water.  It's hot out there!

State Budget Passed

by: Zelph

Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 20:57:20 PM MDT

Senate President Tim Bee, who brokered the budget deal with Gov. Janet Napolitano and legislative Democrats, was only able to secure three other Republican votes, while all 12 Democrats present supported the budget package, allowing the bills to pass with the minimum number of votes.

Sen. Karen Johnson, who is on vacation, did not vote.

An attempt to put an initiative on the ballot that would repeal the state property tax, probably not a good idea with the state's existing budget woes, failed in the Senate. So did an attempt to place an initiative on the ballot to ban gay marriage.  You should go on vacation more often, Senator Johnson!

Progressive Democrats Endorse Shanker

by: EricAZ

Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 07:02:57 AM MDT

Thursday, June 19, 2008
Washington, DC
PDA ENDORSES SHANKER IN ARIZONA
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) have endorsed Howard Shanker in Arizona's 1st Congressional District.  The decision will be ratified on June 26th at a national PDA conference.
Shanker is running for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rick Renzi, the Congressman indicted earlier this year for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other federal violations.

An attorney who works mainly on cases involving the environment, natural resources and Native American rights, Shanker is committed to protecting the communities of CD 1 and has a long-held record of advocacy in this area.  He stands for honest and effective representation, an energy policy based on sound science, single-payer healthcare, and complete withdrawal from Iraq.  This is Shanker's first run at the seat.

Shanker, who is running a campaign with extensive grassroots support, has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, who sits on the board of PDA, and recently committed to serve as chairman of Howard Shanker's campaign committee.  In a statement of support for Shanker, Rep. Grijalva said, "I am proud to endorse Howard Shanker.  He has been a stalwart fighter for protection of Arizona's environmental and cultural legacies."

PDA national director Tim Carpenter commented, "We are thrilled to endorse, actively aid, and support Howard for Congress.  Howard is precisely the kind of progressive leader needed in Congress today, who will protect human rights.  He has a great history of community advocacy in the federal court system and has spent his career protecting communities from the shadow of large corporations and from abuses by federal and state agencies."

Carpenter adds, "He is among the very best the Democratic Party has to offer, and we look forward to working closely with him when he gets to Congress. We're very proud that Howard will be one of the seventeen Healthcare NOT Warfare candidates."

Shanker joins sixteen other Healthcare NOT Warfare candidates across the nation to receive PDA endorsements. Learn more about the "Healthcare NOT Warfare" campaign here; watch the introductory video, here.

Progressive Democrats of America is a grassroots PAC that works both inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice. Its goal is to elect a permanent, progressive majority in Congress. More information is available at http://pdamerica.org.
###
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Laura Bonham, PDA Communications Coordinator laura@pdamerica.org
Phone: 435-336-2123
Tim Carpenter, Executive Director tim@pdamerica.org
Toll Free: 877-239-2093

Arizona Republicans Oppose Habeas Corpus Ruling

by: Zelph

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 23:09:12 PM MDT

Shadegg argued that detainees were not U.S. citizens and have no right to habeas corpus, which instructs a court to determine whether a prisoner is being held on sufficient evidence or not.

Shadegg has recently introduced legislation to circumvent the recent Supreme Court ruling and make military courts the ultimate arbiters of whether prisoners at Guantanamo are to be afforded these rights or not.

George Will has some thoughts on the importance of habeas corpus and McCain's contention that the recent Supreme Court ruling on this matter was one of the worst ever.  It's rare that I agree with George Will, but I think that this is a matter on which principled conservatives and liberals can agree.

No state power is more fearsome than the power to imprison. Hence the habeas right has been at the heart of the centuries-long struggle to constrain governments, a struggle in which the greatest event was the writing of America's Constitution, which limits Congress's power to revoke habeas corpus to periods of rebellion or invasion. Is it, as McCain suggests, indefensible to conclude that Congress exceeded its authority when, with the Military Commissions Act (2006), it withdrew any federal court jurisdiction over the detainees' habeas claims?

It's sad to see that Republicans in Arizona's Congressional delegation have so little respect for a right that is fundamental to our concept of justice.  

I fear the sort of Supreme Court Justices a President McCain might appoint.  Something for you Hillary supporters who are considering not voting or, actually voting for John McCain, to take into consideration.