A bill similar to the 1995 Istook Anti-advocacy amendment
that will likely reach the House floor by Oct. 28 has a
provision that would disqualify nonprofits from receiving
money from a new affordable housing fund if they have
engaged in voter registration and other nonpartisan voter
participation activities or lobbying for certain groups
within 12 months of applying for the money. They would
also be barred from these activities during the grant period,
even if non-federal funds were used to pay for it. More
specifically, the bill would sweepingly restrict any group
that affiliates with an organization that engages in such
activities from applying for funds under the affordable
housing fund.

Promoted by conservatives, this provision has anti-advocacy
antecedents that reach back more than 20 years to other
attacks on nonprofit advocacy.... All nonprofits should be
concerned about the precedent that would be set by this
housing provision.

Lnk to OMB Watch to help you learn more about the
provision, and some ways to take action!
http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3133

d. Environmental protections weakened.  Less public input, more oil drilling; The White House has made increasing oil production and weakening environmental standards priorities since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Sticking with those policies, the Interior Department has "quit conducting environmental reviews and seeking comments from local residents every time drilling companies propose new wells," in an effort to "open more public land to oil and gas production." Dave Alberswerth, public lands director for The Wilderness Society, questions the government's urgency, "If you look at the actual facts on the ground, they have thousands of more drilling permits in their pockets than they can even drill on. So why is Congress or the administration always looking for ways to exempt the wealthiest companies in the world from their environmental responsibilities?" (from American Progress Action Fund, Oct. 19, 2005)

Washington
SECRECY has been perhaps the most consistent trait of the George W. Bush presidency. Whether it involves refusing to provide the names of oil executives who advised Vice President Dick Cheney on energy policy, prohibiting photographs of flag-draped coffins returning from Iraq, or forbidding the release of files pertaining to Chief Justice John Roberts's tenure in the Justice Department, President Bush seems determined to control what the public is permitted to know. And he has been spectacularly effective, making Richard Nixon look almost transparent.

But perhaps the most egregious example occurred on Nov. 1, 2001, when President Bush signed Executive Order 13233, under which a former president's private papers can be released only with the approval of both that former president (or his heirs) and the current one. More www.nytimes.com/2005/10/10/opinion/10kelley.html. 

The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy (Paperback)
by Si Kahn, Elizabeth Minnich
Buzzflash Review says "This is an easily accessible, persuasive book by a long-time social activist, Si Kahn,
and humanistic scholar, Elizabeth Minnich, that makes an airtight case that the common good
of the nation is best served by government and local programs that don't have greed
as their primary motivating basis."
Book offered by Buzzflash for donations
Buzzflash Review: http://www.buzzflash.com/reviews/05/10/rev05101.html. 

The High Cost of Low Price, a documentry by Brave New Films
Premier Week: November 13
Director Robert Greenwald
"Despite its mega-profits and $258 billion in revenues as the world's largest corporation,
more than half of Wal-Mart's employees cannot afford even the least expensive health care
offered by the company.   http://walmartwatch.com/. 

Wal-Mart's workers are incredibly productive by national standards, yet research shows
the average pay for a retail clerk is $8.50/hour; about $14,000 a year. That's $1,000 below
the government's poverty line for a family of three.
Next week, SEIU and some 400 organizational partners are focusing on Wal-Mart. Groups will be
doing private screenings of this new film at House Parties throughout the country. If you are
interested in doing a screening, you may sign up at
 www.walmartmovie.com/find.php?track=walmartwatchl.  

Weapons of Mass Destruction, War in Iraq and Plamegate
Two very interesting articles on the White House role in the "outing" of CIA agent Valerie Plame
were provided on-line by the National Journal Group. Since the current grand jury investigations
refer back to events beginning over two years ago, these articles are very helpful in providing a
chronology. The President had cited the Niger allegations during his 2003 State of the Union
address as evidence that Hussein had an aggressive program to develop weapons of
mass destruction. Wilson had reported back to the President that this story seemed to be a hoax.
In July, Wilson wrote an op ed piece in the NYTimes indicating that the information
he had collected had been misrepresented by the Administration. It is in this period that the
various meetings with reporters were held that dealt with Wilson's reputation and the information
about his wife Valerie Plame. One of the meetings discussed with the Grand Jury and
NYTimes reporter Judith Miller was in late June.

WHITE HOUSE
Libby Did Not Tell Grand Jury About Key Conversation
By Murray Waas, special to National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005

In two appearances before the federal grand jury investigating the leak of a
covert CIA operative's name, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the chief of staff to
Vice President Cheney, did not disclose a crucial conversation that he had
with New York Times reporter Judith Miller in June 2003 about the operative,
Valerie Plame, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of his sworn testimony.
more....
http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1011nj1.htm. 

WHITE HOUSE
Rove Assured Bush He Was Not Leaker
By Murray Waas, Washington-based journalist
© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, Oct. 7, 2005

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove personally assured President Bush
in the early fall of 2003 that he had not disclosed to anyone in the press that Valerie Plame,
the wife of an administration critic, was a CIA employee, according to legal sources
with firsthand knowledge of the accounts that both Rove and Bush independently provided
to federal prosecutors. more...
http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2005/1007nj3.htm. 

Under the Radar  (American Progress Fund)
MILITARY -- ADMINISTRATION RENEGES ON PROMISED BONUSES TO TROOPS: "The Pentagon has reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years," the Takoma News Tribune reports. The bonuses were offered last January "to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas" as "part of the Pentagon’s effort to retain Guard and Reserve members at a time of declining enlistments in the regular Army." But in April, the Pentagon quietly ordered the bonuses stopped. According to the office of Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), no active Guard or Reserve members have received the bonuses.

MILITARY -- ONE IN FOUR U.S. TROOPS RETURN FROM IRAQ NEEDING MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT: USA Today has published data from the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine showing that "[m]ore than one in four U.S. troops have come home from the Iraq war with health problems that require medical or mental health treatment." The study, "the Pentagon's first detailed screening of service members leaving a war zone," found that almost 1,700 soldiers returning from the war this year "said they harbored thoughts of hurting themselves or that they would be better off dead. More than 250 said they had such thoughts 'a lot.' Nearly 20,000 reported nightmares or unwanted war recollections; more than 3,700 said they had concerns that they might 'hurt or lose control' with someone else."

HEALTH CARE -- STATES WILL BE PICKING UP FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S MEDICARE BILL: The White House's new Medicare prescription drug bill, slated to cost $720 billion over the next decade, won't be paid for solely by the federal government. "The Bush administration notified states on Monday that they would have to pay billions of dollars to the federal government next year to help finance the new prescription drug benefit for people on Medicare." States are protesting these charges because they are higher than what the administration originally promised. Ironically, the "2003 Medicare law was [supposed] to relieve states of prescription drug costs for low-income Medicare recipients," but will actually cost the states more money -- a total of $124 billion from 2006-2015.

ENVIRONMENT -- LESS PUBLIC INPUT, MORE OIL DRILLING: The White House has made increasing oil production and weakening environmental standards priorities since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Sticking with those policies, the Interior Department has "quit conducting environmental reviews and seeking comments from local residents every time drilling companies propose new wells," in an effort to "open more public land to oil and gas production." Dave Alberswerth, public lands director for The Wilderness Society, questions the government's urgency, "If you look at the actual facts on the ground, they have thousands of more drilling permits in their pockets than they can even drill on. So why is Congress or the administration always looking for ways to exempt the wealthiest companies in the world from their environmental responsibilities?"

More on Upcoming Selma Reenactment

10/30 - On Sunday, October 30, 2005 at 1:00pm, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia will lead a march from the First Church in Roxbury (10 Putnam St., about half way between Dudley Square and the Reggie Lewis Center) to Boston Common. More than 5,000 people are expected to participate in an effort to increase awareness and understanding among young people, and all people, of the struggle for civil rights.
 www.mfh.org/retracingthestruggle/march.html. 

RELATED EVENTS
10/29 - On Saturday afternoon, October 29, there will also be a major symposium at Boston College, featuring prominent civil rights leaders and commentators. http://www.mfh.org/retracingthestruggle/symposium_sched.html. 

10/27 - On Thursday evening, October 27, 630-8:00 pm there will be a Teach-In for students at Freedom House (on the Roxbury/Dorchester line) in preparation for the March. It will be conducted by Facing History and Ourselves and will invite young people to explore the historical context and legacies of this momentous event. http://www.facinghistory.org/facing/fhao2.nsf/regional/new+england. 

Volunteers needed for Safety marshals, security, phone banking, water station monitors, clean-up, canvassing/outreach.

BACKGROUND - In March 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to protest voting restrictions for blacks. John Lewis was there with him. Five months later, Congress passed the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 enforcing the right granted to all Americans by the 15th Amendment to the Constitution.

Also, in April 1965, Dr. King led Boston marchers on a five-mile walk from Roxbury to a rally at Boston Common to protest de facto school segregation in Boston. In June, the state legislature passed The Racial Imbalance Act outlawing "racially imbalanced" schools.

The many supporters of this march include the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Boston College, Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, City-Wide Dialogues on Boston’s Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, Dunk the Vote, Facing History and Ourselves, Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, Black Ministerial Alliance, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Boston, City Year, Irish Immigration Center, Anti-Defamation League, Urban League of Eastern MA, NAACP, New Democracy Coalition, Project HIP-HOP and Freedom House.
For more info and to REGISTER for the March, go to:
http://www.mfh.org/retracingthestruggle/march.html.  - or call 617-445-3700.
Let us honor our nation's ongoing fight for civil rights and demonstrate our commitment to the critical importance today of political engagement by walking from Roxbury to Boston Common on October 30th!

The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action is dedicated to continuing a strong, progressive, inter-generational voice inspired by Jewish teachings and values for social justice, civil rights, and civil liberties.

Membership is open to all who wish to work for progressive goals in the development of public policy.

Join us! Visit www.jewishalliance.org and fill out the online donation form today!