MONTANA WOMEN FOR NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 3 2007
Our November meeting will be held not on the second Thursday of the month, as is our custom but on Friday the 9th because of the availability of our speaker, Brigitte Tuller. It will be held at 6:30pm in the Russell Chatam Room at the Livingston Public Library, and at 7pm Ms. Tuller will give her presentation, and show a film “The Abuse of Power.”
A huge number of Americans are in a state of shock, grief and even depression over the repeated violating of the American constitution, the destructive elimination or privatization of our country’s social services, the fact that we are torturing our perceived enemies (but it is legal therefore it can’t be torture says the administration), the disrespect for human rights, and the chipping away at citizens’ civil rights and rights of Privacy. Guantanamo Bay holds prisons indefinitely without the right to defend themselves because of the
suspension of Habeas Corpus, and we are rendering terrorism suspects to either secret CIA prisons oversees or to countries where we know they will be tortured. American citizens are being spied on in direct violation of constitutional law, and our emails are being read. It is not pretty.
The brilliant Brigitte Tuller, a lawyer who is on both the national and the Montana boards of the ACLU will speaking to us at November’s meeting about all of these things, and how we can make ourselves not so powerless in the face of such horrors. This will not be the cheeriest of meetings, but it will be one of our most fascinating.
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Our peace vigil in honor of those who have died or been injured in the Iraq war will be held on Monday, November 5, in front of the post office. Its important that as many of us attend as possible. All politicians in Washington must be constantly reminded that MOST Americans oppose this war and that we can vote them out of office.
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On Tuesday, November 6 Livingston will hold its city elections. PLEASE vote. Democracy starts at home. These are people who help decide how your city will be developed, how your garbage will be handled, whether your community will have a walking/biking trails system, or a recycling program, and much more.
If you are a registered voter you can vote at the polls at your regular polling place or you can vote absentee in person or by mail. You can request an absentee ballot at your courthouse or deliver the absentee ballot request form to your local election administrator by noon on the day before the election. Absentee ballots must be returned by 8pm on Election Day.
YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT and can make a big difference.
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Please phone Senators Tester and Baucus and thank them for signing on to the Dick Durbin (D-ILL) resolution telling President Bush that he needed the approval of congress before he can take any military action against Iran, and asking him to choose diplomacy over force.
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Please call Senators Baucus and Tester and ask them to vote against Judge Michael Mukasky for Attorney General. His refusal to say that he will hold the President accountable to the laws of the land, and his refusal to say that he thinks waterboarding is torture makes him a most unsuitable candidate for the job. Of additional concern are public statements made by Mr. Mukasky that civil liberties could be set aside for the sake of national security, another expressing his doubt as to whether non-citizens in US custody should enjoy the protection of the US Constitution, and also for advocating the creation of separate national security courts to hear terrorism related cases.
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Please go to www.montanawomenfor.org and click on the link to United for Peace and Justice. There are two petitions they would like you to sign. One is about the need to create green jobs conserving 20% of our energy by 2015, and to cut carbon emission 80% by 2050 and to put a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants. As we all know, the Iraq war is about oil, so we cannot be members of the peace community without also acknowledging this countrys need to reduce and ultimately eliminate its addiction to oil.
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Emilys List will be holding a Campaign Training program for pro-choice women in Missoula on November 16th and 17th. It is the nation’s largest political donor network and political resource for pro-choice women candidates and the program is designed to recruit, train, support and elect women to office at the state and local level.
Whether you or someone you know is currently serving on a school board, commission, City Council or just beginning to think about running for office it is certain that this training will provide you with the skills you need.
There is no cost to attend the Emily’s list traing.
If you have any questions, call Janine Salalac at 415 281 2808.
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At 7;30, Monday, November 5th, in the lounge at Trinity Hall, Carroll College Helena, Dr. Rosalie Bertell, will present a small
film on the harms cause by depleted uranium weapons and will initiate a discussion and answer quests.
DR. Bertells work as an environmental epidemiologist and a public health advocate has been recognized world wide and earned her the nickname the anti-nuclear nun .
She has lectured all over the world.
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The womens right movement is mounting a campaign to pass legislation in the Senate (S. 1843) to restore a womans right to fair pay but right now the bill is stuck in the senate without enough co-sponsors to get any movement going. Women continue to be paid, on average, 77 cents for every dollar paid to men.
Neither of our senators have signed on yet even though Baucus has a fairly consistent record of support for womens rights, and Senator Tester has always been fair-minded about womens rights issues from his populist point of view. Please go to your phones and faxes and computers and contact Senators Baucus and Tester and ask them to sign on as co-sponsors.
202 224 2651 phone
202 2240515 fax.
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The Bozeman Peace seekers meeting will be held on the 14h of November instead of the 7th in the Montana Room of Christus Collegium, 714 S. 8th at 6pm.
