Latest News
May 2005
Amy Goodman in Italy
Award winning journalist Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! will be in Italy on June 3. Her new book (see suggested reading) will be presented at the Premio Ilaria Alpi in Riccione at 4pm. She will also speak at a seminar at 5pm, "Spotlights on war, to access peace" and a round table discussion "What is left of the investigation" at 9pm.
See the event web site for the entire program.
Palazzo del Turismo - Piazzale Ceccarini 1, Riccione
House Debates Withdrawal From Iraq - Fails to Approve
Rep. Woolsey from California presented an amendment to the defense authorization bill requiring President Bush to present Congress with a plan for military withdrawal from Iraq. This was the first time Congress had ever debated the issue. Unfortunately, the amendment failed to pass, though it did get 30 minutes on the floor and 128 votes in favor, including 5 Republicans. See how your representative voted
and then contact them to let them know how you feel about it.
Amnesty International Annual Report
AI has released its 2005 report on the state of the world's human rights. 2004 was not a good year for human rights. The report concludes that "human rights of ordinary men, women and children were disregarded or grossly
abused in every corner of the globe" and "the 'war on terror' appeared more effective in eroding international human rights principles than in countering international 'terrorism'." See the details for the USA or for your country. But all is not lost. The report also "acknowledges the opportunities for positive change that emerged in
2004, often spearheaded by human rights activists and civil society groups."
The Memo
Much has been said of the memo containing minutes of a meeting in July 2002 with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Unfortunately not in the U.S. media. In fact it has been completely ignored by the mainstream media. See the Downing Street Memo web site for the text of the memo and ways you can bring more attention to this issue.
An Alternative Annual Report on Halliburton
Just in time for the annual shareholders meeting, the War Profiteers site run by Corpwatch has put together an informative annual report on Halliburton, Houston: We Still Have a Problem.
Compromise on the Filibuster
The standoff in the senate over the use of the filibuster on judicial nominees has been averted by an agreement between 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats. Some are calling it a victory, others are critical. Read the text of the agreement and if you're not happy with it, contact your senator to let them know.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The chairman of the board of CPB, the very organization created to keep partisan politics out of PBS, is actively pursuing a partisan agenda, working to eliminate the "liberal bias." Contact your representatives and senators to demand an investigation and sign a petition to save PBS from partisan operatives.
Media Reform
The National Conference for Media Reform was held in St. Louis, Missouri, May 13-15. Over 2500 attended. Download audio and video of the sessions. Of interest is the speech made by Bill Moyers at the closing session.
If you know of additional news items that should be listed, send them via email.
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