Progressive Democrat Issue 212

This last week was the 6th anniversary of Bush's Mission Accomplished speech about Iraq. Meanwhile US soldiers are still dying in both Afghanistan and Iraq, the Taliban are slowly taking over more and more of BOTH Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Osama bin Laden is still free. I never was quite sure what mission Bush thought he'd accomplished. Other than miserable failure.

Swine flu continues to be the big news story. And it will continue to be, I think, but I still say that with modern amentities like clean water, indoor heating and fever reducing medicine, this won't be as bad as past pandemics, at least in the US. Remember to wash you hands a lot! I want to also direct people's attention to this: UW Virologist Puts Swine Flu in Perspective.

Torture also continues to be in the news. FBI documents recently released show that Bush DID order the use of torture. And a Spanish court has taken up an investigation again. Since waterboarding IS considered torture and a war crime (this is according even to the United States' own legal actions against the Japanese after WW II), the direct connection to Bush is pretty big news. Does it mean he will be prosecuted? Not necessarily. But that possibility did just get much closer. And, just a reminder, it has been well known for centuries that torture does NOT work as a method for getting reliable information.

Here is this week's newsletter:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Arlen Specter: DEMOCRAT from Pennsylvania

Update on Bank of America: Some progress, but still a boycott

Congressman Jerry McNerney: We Need New Energy Technologies

Marriage Equality Progress in New Hampshire and Maine

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

Virginia Action Alert: Stop the $6 billion coal plant fiasco

VIRGINIA FOCUS

Northeast Organic Farming Assn. of New Jersey

NEW JERSEY FOCUS

Pennsylvania Wind Power

PENNSYLVANIA FOCUS

Houston/Harris County TX Focus

Austin/Travis County, TX Focus

TEXAS FOCUS

WISCONSIN FOCUS

FLORIDA FOCUS

ILLINOIS FOCUS

ARIZONA FOCUS

Atlanta, GA Focus

GEORGIA FOCUS

COLORADO FOCUS

Michigan Court Ruling: ACLU Comments

MICHIGAN FOCUS

WASHINGTON FOCUS

NEVADA FOCUS

NORTH CAROLINA FOCUS

IOWA FOCUS