We need to act on our responsibility to fight for real change. We cannot trust or rely on politicians and pundits to fight for us. We need to fight for ourselves.

Tell President Obama to Start Withdrawing US Troops from Iraq:
Ending the war in Iraq was the most important campaign promise Barack Obama made. Ending that war is urgent in terms of the loss of lives and the devastating effects it is having on the US and Iraqi economies. There is no excuse for any further delays. If Obama is serious about dealing with our economic crises, he must take immediate steps to end a war that is diverting hundreds of billions of dollars from building the US economy to destroying the Iraqi economy. Stopping the war in Iraq would do far more to help the US economy than the stimulus plan, which includes far too many economy slowing tax cuts.

Tell the President to Start Troop Withdrawals Without Any Further Delay

You also can contact the White House comments line: 202-456-1111

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Support the Inclusion of LGBT People in the Civil Rights Act:
Hat tip to Queers United.

There is an online petition requesting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid do the following:

Expand the Civil Rights Act to declare it the public policy of the United States that discrimination based on LGBT status is prohibited.

The organizers plan on delivering the petitions on June 1, 2009.

Please Read and Sign the Petition

You also can publicize the issue by Digging the Queers United blog posting.

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Support the Confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor:
As you know, the Goppers are trying to block the confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis. The excuse they are using is a small amount of taxes that her husband got behind on, but which were paid before Ms. Solis' was nominated. The real reasons the Greedy Oily Pedophiles are going after her are as follows.

1) Ms. Solis is a strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act, and bought Republican politicians are doing the bidding of their corporate masters who don't want a level playing field for union organizing.

2) This is a chance to appeal to the GOP's anti-Latino base, which hates people of color and which hates Catholics (even though they are happy to work with rightist Catholics to oppress women, atheists, and queers).

The United Farm Workers is supporting her nomination, and you should too.

Hilda Solis would be a Labor Secretary who understands the struggles of the working people. She embodies President Obama's promise to make the government work for all Americans.

The UFW feels strongly about this issue as Congresswoman Solis has worked in collaboration with us for years. She has helped bring basic protections and dignity to one of the most vulnerable segments of our society.

As a life-long supporter of union representation and as an advocate of workers' rights, we believe Ms. Solis will help restore what was the initial mission of the Labor Department. We cannot think of a more qualified representative.

Tell Your Senators You Want Ms. Solis Confirmed ASAP

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Tell Lou Dobbs to Stop Attacking the Middle Class:
Rightist gas bag Lou Dobbs is waging war against the middle class by spreading misinformation about the Employee Free Choice Act. From a Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) Action Alert 2/6/09:

CNN host Lou Dobbs falsely suggested that the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would "end a secret ballot" on his February 4 show.

At the conclusion of a report by CNN correspondent Drew Tucker about the Service Employees International Union's mobilization in support of the legislation, Dobbs said, "The American people voted for lots of things, but I don't know a lot of people voted to end a secret ballot."

Dobbs' claim that EFCA would eliminate the "secret ballot" in union authorization elections, which has been a centerpiece in a U.S. Chamber of Commerce-funded anti-union PR campaign (see Nation, 1/26/09), is completely false. As the text of the act (H.R. 800, 3/2/07) reveals, EFCA contains no language about eliminating the "secret ballot" enshrined in the National Labor Relations Act under Section 9 e.

Under EFCA, workers would still have the right to vote in a National Labor Review Board (NLRB) "secret ballot" election if 30 percent of the workforce signs cards, just as they do now. EFCA would change the process of union formation by giving workers seeking to join a union an additional option of winning union representation after a majority of the workforce signs cards, through a new provision to the act (section 9 c 6).

As American Rights at Work points out, this method of union sign-up, known as "majority sign-up" or "card check," is already recognized under current labor law, but only when the employer approves it. EFCA would represent a change in such union drives by removing the ability of employers to withhold recognition and to insist on an NLRB election.

For generations, Unions have played a crucial role in bringing Americans into the middle class and helping them stay there. Lou Dobbs wants to help corporations lower wages and benefits so they can make even bigger profits at the expense of treating their employees fairly. Tell Lou Dobbs to retract his statements and to tell the truth about the Employee Free Choice Act.

Lou Dobbs
Email:lou.dobbs@turner.com

CNN:
212-275-7800