Puget Sound Liberals Weekly Newsletter #99

Enhancing Freedom, Opportunity and Cooperation in Puget Sound and Beyond

Through informing and networking Liberals and Liberal Organizations.

 

Our vision is hundreds of thousands of well-informed Puget Sound Liberals working together.

 

December 7, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Our Website                                                                            Our  Editor   

 

                        Table of Contents   * featured articles

 

Puget Sound Liberals

About Puget Sound Liberals

Opportunities and Petitions

 

Commentaries from Our Members

Dave Upthegrove: For Environmental Protection

Peter Henry: Bush/Cheney exert Extra Powers

Jeff Nygaard: Deceptive Deficit Statistics

Jeff Nygaard: Export Health Care (Cuba) or Arms (US)

 

Liberals and Democrats Links to the Beef

Hispanic Vote is Increasing, but Must Be Earned.

 

State and Local  Links to the Beef

Toward an Effective Washington Tax System *

Making Political Sausage

 

Nation and World  Links to the Beef

Torture by Americans

What If Today’s Immigrants Behaved Like Earlier Ones?

Is It Your Money?  Can You Spend It Best? *

Leapfrogging the Electoral College

 

Our Liberal Spirit

Political Morality

 

Recommended Books

 

Our Political Priorities

 

·       Fair Clean Elections and Open Government

·       Fair Taxes and Competent Spending

·       Investment for Productivity

·       Quality Health, Education, Jobs, Income and Retirement

·       Environmental Protection and Energy Independence

·       Personal Security and Equal Rights

·       Justice and Peace Everywhere

·       International Cooperation and Leadership

 

Conservatives oppose all of these.

 

     Let’s End Our National Nightmare

 

         Let’s Restore Our American Dream

 

 

Quote of the Week

Legislation is like making sausage.  The result might be great, but you surely don’t want to watch the process.  German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).  More about sausage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


I strongly recommend that everyone see the movie Inlaws and Outlaws.  With remarkable honesty, good humor, great music and real heart, Inlaws & Outlaws weaves together true stories of couples and singles, gay and straight to celebrate what we all have in common: we love.  For more.

 

Tuesday, December 11 at 8:30 PM at the Comedy Underground (222 S. Main Street, Seattle – NARAL Pro-Choice Washington Benefit.  $12.  For more information.

 

Wednesday, December 12 at 6:30 PM at Bradford Center (752 – 108th Avenue NE, Bellevue) – Eastside Fellowship for Reconciliation Annual Holiday Party.  Join us for potluck, music, merrymaking and nostalgia.

 

Wednesday, December 12 at 7 PM at Rodney and Deborah Tom’s home (7525 – 28th Place, Medina) – Fundraiser for Jim McIntire for State Treasurer.  41st, 45th, and 48 LD legislators will attend.  RSVP

 

Opportunities and Petitions

 

Join Working America in alliance with labor union members

 

Join Fuse to identify and communicate and cooperate with other Washington State Liberals

 

Order Democracy in America ‘Precinct Organizing’ and other Night School Training videos

 

Order Lester Ward’s Plan B 3.0, Mobilizing to Save Civilization, a great xmas gift.

 

Order You Decide/Usted Decide, NARAL’s bilingual English-Spanish resource guide for accessing reproductive health care and safe abortion services across Washington State.

 

Order gifts to help third world people improve their lives.  Sewing machine, bicycle, training, etc.

 

Petition your national representatives to oppose loan guarantees for private nuclear plants.

 

Ask your congressperson to support global warming legislation.

 

Petition congress to give President Bush no more funds for Iraq War.

 

Petition congress to stop President Bush from starting another war.

 

Commentaries From Our Members

 

Excerpts from Email from member Dave Upthegrove

 


Dave Upthegrove won praise for his work as Chair of the Select Committee on Puget Sound where he shepherded landmark legislation through the House to coordinate Puget Sound clean-up efforts.  He will chair the new House Ecology and Parks Standing Committee, which will handle environmental protection and conservation issues.  These include climate change, aquatic lands, parks and recreation, the State Environmental Policy Act, oil spills and cruise ship pollution.  Protecting our clean air, clean water, parks and open spaces is necessary to have good jobs and a strong economy.  Dave Upthegrove, 33rd Legislative District Representative


 

Letter from member Peter Henry published in Seattle PI on 12/2/2007

 

Bush/Cheney Exert Extra Powers

I was heartened to see Linda Boyd's column on impeachment leading the Nov. 25 Sunday Focus section. Serious observers on the left and the right see plainly that the Bush/Cheney administration is asserting extra powers that aren't in the Constitution. To list just a few:

 

·       The power to disregard laws when not convenient.

·       The power to administratively detain people without trial or review in open court.

·       The power to use fake military tribunals to try and convict people.

·       The power to take the U.S. to war without approval by Congress, and in defiance of international laws and treaties.

·       The power to torture people in U.S. detention.

·       The power to kidnap people all over the world and send them to other places to be tortured.