The truth behind the hoax was 'hiding' in plain sight, if only the media and Congress had bothered to seek it out....Published by BradBlog.com. “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” -Mark Twain. "All that is needed for the forces of evil to triumph is for enough good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke. In a society increasingly dominated by dictatorial and corrupt corporate wealth and power, a collection of community organizations, The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), steps forward to become the voice of the most vulnerable of our citizens--the poor and lower-middle class. It is a national coalition which not only strives to insure that these otherwise atomized and powerless masses retain and exercise their equal right to vote, but a caring organization which seeks a living wage for all citizens; that tries to protect them from predatory lenders and phony foreclosure assistance scams. [more]

Representative John Conyers, Jr. Press Release Washington, D.C.—Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) released the following statement supporting H. Con. Res. 248. This resolution is intended to secure the role of Congress, as directly elected representatives of the people, under Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, to decide whether America enters into war, continues a war, or otherwise introduces armed forces or materiel into combat zones. “There are few issues of state as weighty as those we discuss today. The decision to engage in military conflict affects us all in innumerable ways. There are the obvious effects on our military men and women who risk their lives abroad, while also giving up many of the small joys associated with sharing life’s meaningful moments with family and friends. [more]

Published by LABORnotes. When I told friends I was on my way to the Labor Campaign for Single-Payer conference, held last weekend, they all said, “I bet that’ll be a bunch of long faces.” I predicted not—these were people who’d always known the health care reform debate in Congress would come up short. Even single-payer advocates didn’t know just how bad the bills would be, of course, but we knew that when the dust settled the insurance companies would still be in charge. “We’re making progress on single payer—the corporations want to make you the single payer,” said Chris Townsend, UE political director. [more]

Published by Raw Story. Facing razor-thin margins in the House, Democratic leaders are hoping to convert the sole liberal who opposes their health care bill, but it seems they have their work cut out because he isn't budging. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) on Monday defended his opposition to the proposal in an appearance on MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann, citing as his central concern its lack of a robust public option to provide competition for insurance companies. [more]

Published by TruthOut. Organizing workers into a union usually brings out the best in labor. Organizers are truly motivated, committed, work long hours and genuinely believe in helping workers. But not everything is always as good as it appears. We know from watching pumped-up, 30-second movie trailers that the full 90-minute release might not actually measure up to its hype. We are sometimes disappointed. It's the same with us in the union movement. We have to work on closing the gap between how we project ourselves so favorably while organizing and how we sometimes actually perform so routinely while representing. [more]

Published by All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care. One state AFL-CIO is actively trying to build the social movement necessary to pass single payer legislation such as HR 676. The Maine AFL-CIO takes its lead from resolution 34 passed at the September National AFL-CIO convention. Recently, The Maine state AFL-CIO has developed a number of materials, including a power point presentation, leaflets, cost analysis, and other tools to reach out to local unions and rank and file members to help educate and arm them with the knowledge of the benefits of single payer health care and how it works. [more]

Published by MichaelMoore.com. Dear President Obama, I understand you may be looking to replace Rahm Emanuel as your chief of staff. I would like to humbly offer myself, yours truly, as his replacement. [more]

Take Action: Security begins at home--become a brown-bagger for peace. Published by USA Today. Any discussion about the future of the United States' presence in Iraq must begin with a sobering analysis of what our occupation has cost us—in both American lives and missed opportunities to invest in our country's future. The reckless decision of the previous administration to enter into this unnecessary war of choice has resulted in the loss of 4,384 American lives, at least 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives and $747.3 billion. [more]

Take Action: Tell Congress "Support debate of the Afghan War" Published by Kucinich.us. [Yesterday, March 4,] Congressman Dennis Kucinich, along with 16 cosponsors, introduced H. Con Res., 248, a privileged resolution requiring the House of Representatives to debate whether to continue the war in Afghanistan. The debate will occur on Wednesday, March 11, 2010. The debate is expected to last three hours by House rule. [more]

Take Action: Tell Congress "Support the Kucinich privileged resolution to debate the Afghan War." Millions of Americans have no healthcare, and the economy continues to bleed jobs and generate foreclosures--yet there's still money for war. The Afghan War is now the second longest war in US history--it's time for an open debate on ending US involvement. On the eve of introduction, by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, of a privileged resolution to debate the Afghan War, Congressman Kucinich recorded this message (select the second recording) to PDA members. Please contact your member of Congress to co-sponsor the Kucinich priviliged resolution. [more]

Published by WFPL News The group Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare held another rally in downtown Louisville Wednesday. It was one of many demonstrations across the country in response to President Obama’s healthcare summit with lawmakers in Washington. The demonstrators are opposed to most of the legislation on the table. They favor an expanded Medicare system that would provide single-payer healthcare to all citizens. [more]

Take Action: Tell Congress "Support Medicare for All" Published by Reuters President Obama, at today’s summit and in his proposal earlier this week, has embraced a deeply-flawed bill--the Senate bill--as his model for reform. That bill would leave about 24 million people uninsured in the year 2019, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Leaving 24 million people without health insurance is neither “universal care” nor even serious reform. As my research team has recently shown, that 24 million uninsured people would translate into about 24,000 unnecessary deaths annually. As a doctor, I find that prospect completely unacceptable. [more]

Published by Unions for Single Payer Health Care. The resolution below was passed by unanimous vote at the regular meeting of Delegates to the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council in San Jose, California 2/22/10: "We support the Social Insurance Model for Health Care Reform as articulated in Resolution 34 at the recent AFL-CIO Convention and bring attention especially to its final [six] paragraphs." [more]

Published by NPP. This publication reviews Presidential budget requests spanning fiscal years 2008 to 2012 which include requested spending authorities from the final Bush budget to the Obama administration's projected 2012 budget. [To view the report for your state, use the National Priorities Project's state report tool, found here.] The following are highlights of the proposed policy and fiscal goals embedded in the President's proposed Fiscal Year 2011 (October 1, 2010 to September 31, 2011) budget request: [more]

Join PDA's Healthcare for All Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here. Published by Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare. The Labor Campaign for Single Payer [has] joined the growing number of nurses, doctors and other healthcare advocates who have responded to President Obama's State of the Union challenge to "let him know" if there is a better approach that "will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare, and stop insurance company abuses." [more]

'There is a better health plan, Mr. President' Published by Physicians for a National Health Program. Rising to President Obama's challenge in his State of the Union address that others come up with a better approach to health care reform than his own, two Maryland physicians who advocate for a single-payer program stood on the sidewalk this morning outside the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, where the president was meeting with House Republicans, and held a large banner reading, “Letting you know: Medicare for all.” [more]

David Horowitz in ATC obituary with substance-free attack Published by FAIR. When progressive historian Howard Zinn died on January 27, NPR's All Things Considered (1/28/10) marked his passing with something you don't often see in an obituary: a rebuttal. [more]

Published by The Nation. President Obama renewed his call for health-care reform in his first State of the Union address but, as has been the case from the start of the current debate over how to get more medical care at less cost, he provided little in the way of leadership. Rather, he suggested that, even at this late stage in the wrangling over reform, he is open to suggestions for how to achieve it. [more]

Take Action: Sign this petition! Major newspapers are reporting that banking reform is in dire straights in the Senate due to pressure from Wall Street and its allies. The Wall Street bankers who drove our economy off a cliff are lobbying as hard as ever against financial reform. The fight now moves to the Senate where Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd is in charge. Bank lobbyists think that Dodd will "dance with the special interests." Tell Dodd to make protecting Main Street his legacy--not dancing with Wall Street! Check out this new video from the Center for Media and Democracy and sign the new petition to Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd urging him not to cave in to efforts by the Big Banks and the right-wing to weaken his proposed bank reform bill. [more]

Published by CNA/NNU. The nation’s largest nurses union [on Friday] urged Congress to act quickly to reverse the Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited corporate spending in political campaigns, calling it a “disastrous ruling for American workers and American democracy.” “The healthcare debate of the last year has provided a sobering reminder of the already pervasive influence of giant pharmaceutical and insurance corporations. The last thing our democracy and political system needs is even more spending and political sway by the wealthiest interests in this country,” said Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, the 150,000-member organization formed late last year through the unification of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, United American Nurses, and Massachusetts Nurses Association. [more]