Houston Democrats

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

Drugs and Beer Don't Mix!

RiceVentria Biosciences is hoping to grow pharmaceutical (“pharma”) rice in Missouri next year, after public pressure forced the company to abandon plans to do so this spring. Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s leading rice buyer, initially spoke out forcefully against Ventria’s plans. The company later backed down on its threat to boycott Missouri rice if Ventria planted pharma rice in the state. Take action today to thank Anheuser-Busch for their initial strong stance and urge the company to return to a position that keeps unwanted drugs out of our food and beverages!

http://www.ucsaction.org/ctt.asp?u=3757339&l=92490

From Americans United:

TAKE ACTION
Urge the Senate to Reject Pryor - To send a message go to the AU web site at au.org/

CONTACT

Press:
Joseph Conn, Rob Boston, or Jeremy Leaming
202-466-3234 telephone
202-466-2587 fax
http://www.au.org/

AMERICANS UNITED URGES SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO REJECT APPEALS COURT NOMINEE PRYOR

AU's Lynn Says Former Alabama A.G. Holds Extreme Views On Separation Of Church And State

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against the confirmation of former Alabama Attorney General William Pryor to a federal appeals court seat.

"Time and again, William Pryor has expressed disdain for the First Amendment principle of church-state separation," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. "Pryor's battle against the church-state wall and other fundamental rights makes him a profoundly poor choice for an appointment to the federal appeals court bench.

"William Pryor may be the Religious Right's dream nominee, but he's everyone else's nightmare," Lynn said. "The Judiciary Committee should reject his nomination."

Pryor was nominated to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during President George W. Bush's first term. A filibuster blocked the nomination, but during a 2004 Senate recess, Bush granted Pryor a temporary appointment to the court. Earlier this year, Bush renominated him for a seat on the 11th Circuit.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Pryor's nominations either Wednesday or Thursday.

Americans United, among an array of other public interest groups, has fought Pryor's nomination, charging that the nominee wants to roll back federal court precedent that has advanced and protected a host of civil liberties.

In 2003, Americans United issued a report on Pryor's views. It noted that Pryor has backed the display of religious symbols in government buildings, has stated that religion and politics "need to be intertwined" and once asserted that the executive branch of government "does not have to implement [court] rulings with which it disagrees."

Lynn urged Bush to stop pushing Religious Right ideologues for federal bench appointments and instead send the Senate judicial nominees with the temperament to preside over controversial cases and rule according to constitutional precepts.

Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

From ACLU:

Give your Members of Congress Feedback on Key Privacy Vote

The Senate will soon join the House in passing legislation that will allow the government to compile your most personal information, such as your name, address, photo, birth certificate, social security number and perhaps even your DNA, into a national database. This database will be accessible by tens of thousands of government employees, dramatically increasing the risk that your personal information will be stolen.

By passing this bill -- the REAL ID Act --- Congress created a national ID system and failed to protect your privacy.

Please write your Members of Congress today to express your disappointment in their failure to prevent passage of this legislation. Urge them to oppose future legislation that would infringe on your privacy and to block appropriations for implementing the REAL ID Act.

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=195

Other Actions You Can Take

• Oppose FBI Spying on Free Speech Activities


• Urge Congress to Oppose Overreaching and Punitive Crime Laws

From Progressive Democrats of America:

CAFTA

Congress may soon begin consideration of legislation to create the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). This legislation must be stopped.

CAFTA is referred to by many as the "brother" of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA cost American workers nearly a million jobs and caused the destruction of some 30,000 family farms. Because of NAFTA, the environment along the U.S.-Mexico border has become so toxic that the American Medical Association called it "a breeding ground for infectious disease."

CAFTA brings many of the same problems as NAFTA, along with several new ones. Under CAFTA, countries only have to "enforce their own laws," and are not required to meet any baseline labor standards. Environmental laws are similarly absent, and the passage of CAFTA will create a "race to the bottom," actively encouraging even weaker environmental and labor regulation as an attraction for corporations.

CAFTA would cause mass destruction of rural communities in Central America. Countries like Guatemala, which has 60% of its population depending on agriculture, would suffer irrevocable harm. CAFTA also severely limits the ability of governments to gain access to generic medicines such as those for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. In Costa Rica alone, generic medicine prices would rise 800% under CAFTA. Lastly, CAFTA pushes Enron-style deregulation and privatization on Central American countries.

Fortunately, many Republicans and most Democrats do not like CAFTA. This legislation can be defeated, but we need your help. Take action against CAFTA here:

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7348276

Bring the Troops Home

PDA is also calling upon activists to help Representative Lynn Woolsey's (D-CA) House Resolution (H.Con.Res.35) gain support from other members of Congress.

Rep. Woolsey's bill calls for the President to: (1) Develop and implement a plan to begin the immediate withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq;

(2) Develop and implement a plan for reconstructing Iraq's civil and economic infrastructure; (3) Convene an emergency meeting of Iraq's leadership, Iraq's neighbors, the United Nations, and the Arab League to create an international peacekeeping force in Iraq and to replace U.S.

Armed Forces in Iraq with Iraqi police and Iraqi National Guard forces; and (4) Provide the Iraqi people the opportunity to completely control their internal affairs.

Urge your member of Congress to support this legislation here:

http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=7071606

Fight Media Supression of the Truth

Finally, we are asking our activists to help us force the media to provide the necessary and appropriate coverage of the recently revealed secret British intelligence memo. This memo, first reported by the Telegraph UK, exposed in black-letter language the fact that the Bush and Blair administrations colluded to manufacture a pretext in order to justify the decision to invade Iraq. Appallingly, this memo and its implications have received scant media coverage. PDA issued a detailed press release on the matter, which can be read here:

http://www.pdamerica.org/field/Press-Release-Bush-Blair.php