At Common Dreams, Andrea Germanos writes—Take Away Our Poverty, Not Our Children!': Poor People's Campaign Caps Off 40 Days of Action:
Thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. on Saturday where the Poor People's Campaign capped off 40 days of action with a rally and march to further energize its call for a "moral revival" and intention to "move forward together, not one step back."
Twin banners declaring "Fight Poverty Not the Poor" flanked the stage, where rousing speeches by noted figures including Rev. William Barber, Rev. Jesse Jackson, American Federation of Teachers leader Randi Weingarten, as well as others on the front-lines of the fight for justice—and those who amplify their voices—drew cheers.
"We are sick, we are homeless, we are separated from our families, and we will keep coming back until everyone has housing, voting rights, clean water, peace, and justice!" said Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, who, along with Rev. Barber, co-chairs the campaign, which launched May 13. [...]
The campaign, which channels the effort by the same name Martin Luther King Jr. organized 50 years ago, boasts backers from a broad range of issues, including Friends of the Earth, Communications Workers of America, and the National LGBTQ Taskforce.
That diversity is mirrored in the campaign's demands, which include include full restoration of the Voting Rights Act, enacting universal healthcare, repealing the Republican tax cuts, ending mass incarceration, switching to 100 percent renewable energy, terminating warmongering, and stopping the militarization of communities. Putting a spotlight on the basis for those demands are continuing actions by lawmakers at the state and national level, such voting for a massive military budget, introducing bills to restrict voting rights, calling for greater attacks on the safety net, and erasing environmental and public health safeguards.
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On this date at Daily Kos in 2006—Oops:
So Senate and the House Republicans seem pretty united that a time table for withdrawal of our men and women from Bush's Iraqi quagmire would be a bad idea. Why, it would be a sell out, bordering on treasonous assistance to the terrorists and an insult to the casualties of Bush's war. Bully for them, and as the traditional media reports in breathless glowing detail, that's a sign of strength. By golly those republicans are going to turn a major liability into a political advantage under the exceptional tutelage of Master Karl Rove:
Link--The U.S. House has voted in favor of not setting a timetable for troops to be removed from Iraq. After the vote, West Michigan Congressman, Pete Hoekstra, appeared on Fox News Channel to talk about the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans in their views on the war.
And the DoD has signed right on the dotted line:
Rumsfeld: Iraq Timetable wouldn't 'do any good':--As for a timetable for troop withdrawal, Rumsfeld said that timetables are often wrong. "Once you start doing that, then you are stuck with a number and a date, and it just doesn't do any good," he said.
Oops:
Link--The Iraq government is planning to offer an amnesty to Sunni insurgents as part of a comprehensive peace package that authorities hope will ward off civil war.
The Government will also offer a timetable for American troop withdrawal, stop US operations targeting insurgents, and clamp down on violations of human rights abuses, according to a 28-page deal reported by the Times. Such moves are likely to raise serious concerns in Washington, which has so far steadfastly refused to name a date for scaling down its presence in Iraq, and will not want its personnel under Iraqi jurisdiction.
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