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Wednesday, July 2, 2003 |
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"We believe this plan can create good manufacturing jobs, good construction jobs, can improve the public infrastructure, can be good for the environment and can reduce our dependence on foreign energy,"
- - Leo Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers of America about "The New Apollo Project"
JULY 2nd IN HISTORY:
1976 -- US Supreme Court rules death penalty not inherently cruel or unusual.
1986 -- US Supreme Court upholds affirmative action as a corrective for past discrimination.
RHINO HERE:
If you're only gonna read a bit of the blog today, jump right now down to RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE. There you'll find info about & links to the an encouraging new effort called "The Apollo Project", a 10-point plan for energy independence proposed by a historic coalition of labor unions, environmentalists & peace advocates including True Majority, the online activist group led by Ben Cohen.
While the shrub gang ponders how long they need to wait before Stage 3 of their world wide oil war, the results of Stage One are still becoming apparent. Yes the oil men now have their pipeline project coming together in Afghanistan, but the people in that country are hardly better off and there is no sign of anything like Democracy taking shape. Witness 2 articles in Tuesday's NY Times:
Afghanistan's Future, Lost in the Shuffle
By SARAH CHAYES, NY Times, 7/1/03
ANDAHAR, Afghanistan
Ten miles outside this dust-blown city, the historical capital of Afghanistan, gunmen belonging to the local warlord guard the airport, which American forces use as a base. The hefty fee the guards get from the United States has allowed them to build a marble-faced barracks nearby.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/01/opinion/01CHAY.html?th
Desperation in Kabul
By KHALED HOSSEINI , NY Times, 7/1/03
ABUL, Afghanistan
In Kabul, dying once is not enough," a young man said to me. We were staring at the remnants of the tombstone of a long-dead Afghan singer that had been blasted by Taliban soldiers. It was a clear day, and I had just arrived in Kabul after a 27-year absence. For days afterward, as I rode through the clogged, rubble-strewn streets of the city where I grew up, I thought of the young man's words.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/01/opinion/01HOSS.html?th
And is the shrub gang encouraging and aiding relief organizations to help improve the day to day lives of the Afghan people? Well, it depends on which organizations you mean. They're only cooperating with the ones who they can buy silence & complicity from. Check this one out:
Bush to NGOs: Watch your mouths
By NAOMI KLEIN, Globe & Mail, Friday, Jun. 20, 2003
The Bush administration has found its next target for pre-emptive war, but it's not Iran, Syria or North Korea -- not yet, anyway. Before launching any new foreign adventures, the Bush gang has some homeland housekeeping to take care of: It is going to sweep up those pesky non-governmental organizations that are helping to turn world opinion against U.S. bombs and brands.
The war on NGOs is being fought on two clear fronts. One buys the silence and complicity of mainstream humanitarian and religious groups by offering lucrative reconstruction contracts. The other marginalizes and criminalizes more independent-minded NGOs by claiming that their work is a threat to democracy. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is in charge of handing out the carrots, while the American Enterprise Institute, the most powerful think tank in Washington, D.C., is wielding the sticks...
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0620-06.html
So the plan is 1) make war 2) make money for arms merchants 3) make money for oil barons
And do the minimum they can get away with for the people of the war torn countries.
I'm sure many of the neo-con shrubettes think securing oil is the right thing to do for the future of the civilized world" but instead of the blood for oil plan, here's a different way to approach the problem:
RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE is a variety of information on "The Apollo Project" a 10-point plan for energy independence proposed by a historic coalition of labor unions, environmentalists & peace advocates that if adopted by our government it would:
* Create three million jobs
* Protect the environment
* Improve public health
* Cost $30 billion/year for 10 years (7% of the Pentagon budget)
I encourage you to read up on it and support it how you see fit. True Majority, the online activist group led by Ben Cohen, has coordinated an easy & fast way for its members to send letters encouraging all the Democratic Presidential candidates to get behind the effort. If you don't know about True Majority, or you're not a member yet, consider signing up. They're doing good work & they make it easy for you to lend your intellectual weight.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TRUE MAJORITY,
GO TO THEIR WEB SITE & CLICK "TAKE ACTION":
http://www.TrueMajority.org/
7:10:11 AM 
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Apollo Alliance: Ready for Lift Off
The Apollo Alliance is a growing coalition dedicated to a just and sustainable economy. We are bringing together a broad partnership to rebuild America and face the challenges of conservation, freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, and creating millions of good jobs in the industries of the future. Apollo Alliance was launched at the Campaign for America's Future, "Take Back America" conference in Washington, DC. June 5, 2003. Here's a brief sketch of the Apollo 10 Point Plan:
1. Promote Advanced Technology & Hybrid Cars
2. Invest In More Efficient Factories
3. Encourage High Performance Building
4. Increase Use of Energy Efficient Appliances
5. Modernize Electrical Infrastructure
6. Expand Renewable Energy Development
7. Improve Transportation Options
8. Reinvest In Smart Urban Growth
9. Plan For A Hydrogen Future
10. Preserve Regulatory Protections
For more info on "The Apollo Project," click here.
http://www.apolloalliance.org/
Here's a write up on The New Apollo Project in The Nation:
An Energy Jobs Program
by Bracken Hendricks, The Nation, June 6, 2003
America needs jobs, and working families are hurting. At the same time, the war in Iraq has heightened awareness of our dependence on foreign oil and the vulnerability of our energy system. The time is right for a national commitment to energy independence on the scale of John Kennedy's Apollo Project, which put a man on the moon. A bold program to advance energy efficiency and promote renewable energy, like wind and solar power, and drive investment into new technology and public infrastructure would create 2 million jobs and offer stimulus to our flagging economy...
IT'S ALL AT:
http://www.apolloalliance.org/media_center/energyjobsprogram.cfm
And here's coverage in the NY Times:
Unions Back Research Plan for Energy
By Steven Greenhouse, New York Times, 6/06/03
...The steelworkers union and the Institute for America's Future, a new liberal research center, which helped develop the plan, distributed polling data showing that the plan had wide support in Pennsylvania and several Midwestern swing states that have lost hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs. Supporters said they hoped the poll numbers would persuade presidential candidates to embrace the plan, although privately some acknowledged that candidates might balk at its $300 billion price tag.
A poll commissioned by the steelworkers union found that in Pennsylvania 73 percent of respondents backed the plan, including more than 80 percent of Democratic men without college educations, an important group of swing voters. This group favors re-electing President Bush by 44 percent to 41 percent, the poll found. The survey of 400 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.
READ IT ALL AT:
Research Plan for Energy
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6:34:41 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.
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