Kucinich Calls for Congress to Seize Back War Powers

Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio has begun circulation of 2 privileged resolutions designed to retract powers lent to the Excutive Branch to fund wars in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Kucinich, a consistent anti-war Democrat, announced the drafting of the resolutions after President Hamid Karzai said his country would need US’s military support for another 15 to 20 years, making the 2011 draw down that President Obama recently proposed impossible.

My bills, which would trigger a timeline for a timely withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Pakistan, invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and are intended to secure the Constitutional role of Congress, as directly elected representatives of the people, under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, to decide whether or not America enters into war, continues a war, or otherwise introduces armed forces or material into combat zones.

Despite the president’s assertion that previous congressional action gives him the authority to respond to the attacks of September 11, 2001, a careful reading of the Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) makes cleat that the AUMF did not supersede “any requirement of the War Powers Resolution” and therefore did not undermine Congress’ ability to revisit the constitutional question of war powers at a later date.

Kucinich will be speaking at an anti-war rally in Washington D.D. on December 12 sponsored by EndUSWars.org. Other speakers include Senator Mike Gravel, 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and World Can’t Wait’s Executive Director Debra Sweet.

Privileged Resolutions PDF
War Powers Act of 2001

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Waiting for the Elephant: Healthcare

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Progressive Talk Show Host Ed Schultz says that President Obama’s backroom deals are leading to a trigger and denying a public option in which real competition can be created, all in the hopes of attaching a Republican or two to the healthcare reform bill in this video.

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Creative Sprint Inspires Insurers to Embrace Competition

Heather Graham embodies an energized and healthy government sponsored public health insurance option in a race with health care insurance company execs who seem to have forgotten the benefits of competition. It’s a very hopeful and funny ad campaign for public option.

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President Half Pregnant with Insurance Companies

Congressman Anthony Weiner (NY- 9) discusses the healthcare system with Bill Maher on Real Time and takes a bold stand on Obama’s centrist style that has contributed to the confusing conversation on healthcare.

“The President has tried to be half pregnant with the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies….The healthcare insurance company shouldn’t exist at all…It’s not to say that they are venal. I’m sure there were some very good people in the ’80s making $800 toilets for the Dept. of Defense. I’m not sure that’s an argument for keeping them around.”

-Anthony Weiner

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Gore Calls for Scientists to Engage in Politics

At the 2009 International Day of Peace held on September 21 in New York City, former Vice President Al Gore addressed a crowd of scientists and urged them to become involved in politics, but added with a smile, “Keep your day job.”

Citing how other scientists have joined the Administration, Gore said, “Scientists can no longer in good conscience accept this division between the work you do and the civilization in which you live…We do have the capacity to make this generation one of those generations that changes the course of humankind. The stakes have never been higher.”

US Secretary of Energy Doctor Steven Chu was amongst the first scientists tapped by President Obama to serve in the administration. However, Chu’s political engagement had begun before the 2008 Presidential Election cycle, when an organization called Science Debate 2008 entreated Democratic and Republican candidates to engage in a national debate on science issues.

As a sign of the times, faith trumped science in the public arena. Science Debate 2008 chased the candidates throughout the campaign season. During the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary, Obama and Clinton put their campaign markers down on a faith-based conversation instead, which McCain (not renowned for his position on faith) declined. In a last ditch effort to establish a conversation, Science Debate 2008 acquiesced to receive written responses from the final majority party candidates, Obama and McCain, to questions that only glazed the topic on which environmentalists and scientists craved to vet candidates. Ironically, the Green Party, largely seen as the environmentalist party, was shut out despite efforts to get one of its Presidential candidates, Kent Mesplay, Ph.D., an environmental scientist in on the debate.

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Fair Elections Now Act in Deliberation

Americans have lost faith in the political system because of the influence of big money. An elected freshman spends 20 per cent of their time trying to raise money for the next election, rather than doing their job of legislation.

The Fair Elections Now Act is currently being deliberated in both houses. In a citizen-funded “Fair Elections” system, qualified candidates who take no contributions larger than $100 can run for Congress on a blend of small donations and public funds.

The system has been tested with great success in three states: Arizona, Maine, and most recently Connecticut. Altogether, seven states have implemented Clean Elections for some of their statewide offices.

For decades, big business money fawned over Republicans. Democrats raised money from ordinary voters and labor. However, after the Democrats lost both the Presidency and the majority in the Senate in 1980, the DNC opened the way for big PAC money to waltz in. Since then, campaigns have gotten longer, more expensive and less substantive, offering fewer and fewer truly liberal candidates and pulling the center more to the right.

References:
Common Cause
Open Congress

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Giacomini Fired Up About California’s Need for a Constitutional Convention

The empowered parties and lobbyists have wreaked havoc on California government and nothing short of a Constitutional Convention can create a long-lasting solution to this state’s problem, according to Andrew Giacomini, lead counsel for the organization Repair California. Giacomini hopes that the populist rage and involvement will fuel voters to adopt Repair California’s strategy to create a people’s convention.

For more information, go to RepairCalifornia.org

Future Meet-up dates:

Thousand Oaks Constitutional Convention Town Hall
Monday August 3, 2009
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

San Francisco: Repairing California: Time for a Constitutional Convention
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Orange County Constitutional Convention Town Hall
September 2, 2009
7:30 a.m. Breakfast | 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Program

Sierra Nevada Constitutional Convention Town Hall
August 21, 2009
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (tentative)

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GreenPeace Takes Climate Action to New Heights

Earlier today, GreenPeace activists rappelled off the face of Mt. Rushmore, North Dakota after hanging a 60 foot banner placing President Obama’s face next to that of Lincoln. The banner suggests that politics has corrupted the climate bill.

Eco-Savvy Storytellers watching the greening of politics.

GreenPeace Takes Climate Action to New Heights

Earlier today, GreenPeace activists rappelled off the face of Mt. Rushmore, North Dakota after hanging a 60 foot banner placing President Obama’s face next to that of Lincoln. The banner suggests that politics has corrupted the climate bill.

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"Dignity" Delivers Her Green Message

2008 Green Party Presidential Candidate, Cynthia McKinney was held by the Israeli government when the humanitarian boat she was on was detained.

Here is a link to freegazat.org from where McKinney, a former Democratic Congresswoman of Georgia, reports on the Dignity’s mission and the message of political action she hopes to bring to the Middle East.

The oldest, most prestigious Israeli paper, Haaretz also reports on the detention. American Press has been slow to cover this story.

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