Progressive Democrat Issue 211

This week included Earth Day. So I am highlighting several important environmental actions (including in the State Focus sections) you can take that can affect your environmental impact year round. Most of these actions also contribute to rebuilding our economy and energy infrastructure.

Torture has been a big issue this week. I understand both the attitude that we have to prosecute those who ordered torture, but I also understand the urge to move on from it. Of course I would prefer if some people went to jail for the illegal and immoral actions they ordered. But the main point I want to keep at the forefront is that the use of torture is KNOWN to be an ineffective method of getting information. The use of torture has traditionally NOT been a method of gaining information, but a terror tactic. That is how it has been used from the Spanish Inquisition, to the Nazis to Stalinist Russia. Let's also remember that the United States has at least twice defined waterboarding as torture and prosecuted people for it. We prosecuted as war criminals Japanese who waterboarded during WW II, and waterboarding was designated as illegal by U.S. generals in the Vietnam War. So why were we doing it? We have to remember these things no matter what answer we give to the question of whether we should prosecute or move on.

Banks continue to screw Americans. Boycotts of Bank of America, Wachovia, Wells Fargo and Citibank are all floating around. I am currently avoiding all of these where I can (though I have not yet been able to comlpetely divest from them all). All of them have lousy customer service, have been part of the stupid lending practices that have bankrupt them, and have begged for taxpayer bailouts while using taxpayer money for bonuses and lobbying. Go for local credit unions, TD Bank, USAA, and US Bank, all of whom so far seem better than the bankrupt fools I list above.

The other story has been the fact that 51% of Texas Republicans want to secede from the Union. Funny how the party of Lincoln is not the party of secession, at least in Texas. Daliy Kos has the following questions for the anti-American Texas Republicans:

* Are you flying an American flag? Because you don't get to do that when you cry and take your ball home.

* Do you have a bumper sticker that says, "These colors don't run"? Because it sure looks like you're running.

* Do you still pretend that your party is the "Party of Lincoln"? If so, what part of Lincoln exactly, would that be?

* Since you've spent the last eight years saying "America, love it or leave it", is that an admission that you don't love America? Because we liberals? We loved it and stayed, even when your idiot of a president was trashing the place.

* Was your patriotism (My country, right or wrong) so skin-deep, that it depended 100 percent on the guy in the White House?

* That $200 billion Texas got in defense contracts between 2000 and 2007? No more of that. No more Ft. Hood. No more NASA. No more federal largesse. You okay with that?

* You do realize that the Cowboys will no longer be "America's Team", right? Though they'd dominate the two-team Texas Football League (TFL).

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Going Beyond Earth Day

Urge the EPA to Pave the Way to Cleaner Cars

NYC Focus: Blue Wolf Capital Management Scandal

BROOKLYN, NY FOCUS

QUEENS, NY FOCUS

BRONX, NY FOCUS

NEW YORK STATE FOCUS

Silicon Valley, CA Focus

Orange County, CA Focus

Sacramento, CA Focus

San Diego, CA Focus

CALIFORNIA FOCUS

Clean Wisconsin

WISCONSIN FOCUS

VIRGINIA ALERT: Stop the Coal Plant Boondoggle

VIRGINIA FOCUS

Georgia's Federation of Reason's Children's Program

GEORGIA FOCUS

Houston/Harris Co, TX Focus

Austin/Travis Co. TX Focus

TEXAS FOCUS

Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey

NEW JERSEY FOCUS

Pennsylvania Wind Working Group

PENNSYLVANIA FOCUS

ARIZONA FOCUS

ILLINOIS FOCUS

COLORADO FOCUS

FLORIDA FOCUS

NEVADA FOCUS

IOWA FOCUS

MICHIGAN FOCUS

WASHINGTON FOCUS

NORTH CAROLINA FOCUS