Concerned People for Social Action - Dutchess and Ulster Counties of New York


	Concerned People for Social Action

	in the Mid-Hudson Valley of NY, United States of America

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A grass roots effort, communicating important information about our region and the world

What is "Concerned People for Social Action?"

Concerned People for Social Action is a grass roots group based in the Northern Dutchess and Ulster Counties of New York, communicating important information about questionable government and corporate policies.

Our primary focus is to run full page ads in local papers, where each ad contains a specific social statement and a list of people who are sponsoring that ad. The ads serve as both petitions to our government, and as a way to heighten local awareness of the growing dissent in our country towards some of our government's policies.

Upcoming Ads

We're working on upcoming ads, but don't have anything specific to post yet. Please contact us at show email address if you would like to kept abreast of what's next.

Please join us to receive news and event announcements

We also work to bring together local people who are actively exercising their democratic rights, and wondering why there seems to be something increasingly fishy going on in our goverment. Check back here soon to learn about how to get more involved with local activism.

Talking Points

Reasons Not to Invade Iraq, by George Bush Sr.

Bush Senior, wrote the following to explain why he didn't go after Saddam Hussein at the end of the Gulf War. Read this excerpt and be amazed at what he said that his son later threw out the window.

The Gap between Rich and Poor is Widening

The gap between rich and poor in America is the widest in 70 years, according to a new study published by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Click here for the full story from the BBC.

Wesley Clark is NOT the New Anti-War Candidate

The entry of former NATO supreme commander Wesley Clark into the race for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination has been the subject of furious reporting in the media. But while recent coverage of Clark often claims that he opposed the war with Iraq, the various opinions he has expressed on the issue suggest the media's "anti-war" label is inaccurate. Click here for more information.

Carlyle Group - Undermining Democracy

Watch this 48 minute Dutch video on the Carlyle Group. Carlyle is one of the largest aerospace military corporations in the world, and its tactics of combine the investment, political, and defense industries into an unethical mess of war profiteering. Note: The Dutch introduction is short, but this kind of real investigative reporting is not generally available in the US media. You will need the RealMedia Player.

CNN's Top War Correspondent Says Press Muzzled During War

Christiane Amanpour says CNN "was intimidated" by the Bush administration and Fox News, which "put a climate of fear and self-censorship." Click here for the USA Today article.

Bush Administration is Manipulating Government Agencies

The House Committee on Government Reform has done extensive investigations, and found the Bush Administration to be manipulating almost every geovernment agency, and those agency's reports, for industry gain.

Post-War Evaluation: Our goals in Iraq, and what was accomplished

Have we accomplished all that we had set out to do?

Our troops exposed to hazardous radioactive dust

Depleted Uranium, a waste product of the nuclear industry used in the manufacture of modern munitions, is considered at least a contributing cause of the 130,000 reported cases of "Gulf War Syndrome." We have yet to see what happens with our Iraq War veterans.

The chronic symptoms of this ailment range from sharp increases in cancers to memory loss, chronic pain, fatigue and birth defects in veterans' children. You'll hardly find it reported in mainstream US media, but England's BBC news has plenty of information.

Click here for a disturbing Flash video of what deformities DU causes.

NY Times: Is it patriotic to do business with the "Axis of Evil", while you're defrauding the American People?

This New York Times editorial does a quick overview of Dick Cheney's Halliburton Company, which has been defrauding the government, doing business with our purported enemies, and yet somehow manages to get awarded a huge contract to distribute Iraqi oil, the spoils of war.

Pentagon Policy: Assassinating members of the press?

The Pentagon has held up its practice of "embedding" journalists with military units as proof of a new media-friendly policy. On April 8, however, U.S. military forces launched what appeared to be deliberate attacks on independent journalists covering the war, killing three and injuring four others. Read more about this.

Where do you get your news?

Did you know there are now only 14 major news organizations in the US, and they are all owned by huge corporations? If you think that somehow these news outlets can remain impartial to US political, military, and large business interests, you might consider taking a look at independent and foreign news sources to see how differently the world can look.

The "Iraqis Rejoicing" event was probably staged

See photos of how the Pentagon and media colluded to present an image of Iraqis rejoicing at the invasion. Most foreign and independent journalists have commented on this, but Americans still remain in the dark.

"Is it Okay to Criticize the President?" by Teddy Roosevelt

Are you wondering about whether it's patriotic to be critical of the president? See what a beloved past president has to say.

News and Actions

Here is some news and some actions you can take:

Ongoing	Demand an Independent Investigation	High-ranking White House officials leaked the identity of a member of the CIA?s clandestine services. It appears that the motive was to send a message, that exposing lies by the White House will come with a price. An independent investigation of this despicable matter must be undertaken immediately. It must be thorough, and it must be beyond question in terms of the vigor with which it is pursued.
Ongoing	Urge Your Senators to Fix the PATRIOT Act	More than 170 communities in 30 states have passed resolutions opposing provisions of the PATRIOT Act and other government actions that threaten civil liberties. Three states -? Vermont, Hawaii and Alaska -- have likewise passed statewide resolutions. Last month the House voted overwhelmingly -- by 309 to 118 -- to limit the PATRIOT Act provision that allows government agents to conduct ?black bag? searches of homes and never let the individual know that the search occurred. These actions demonstrate the strong concern about the PATRIOT Act and the need to correct its most dangerous provisions. The Senate however has yet to take action to correct the PATRIOT Act?s flaws. It is time for the Senate to take real and concerted steps to correct the PATRIOT Act.
Ongoing	Oppose the Overreach of Police Powers	People across the country are questioning the provisions of the infamous PATRIOT Act and demanding that it be corrected. Congress is responding to this concern and has begun re-considering many of the government powers expanded under the PATRIOT Act -- like the use of "black bag" searches. Instead of listening to these widespread concerns, however, some Members of Congress are promoting a new measure -- the so-called "Victory Act? -- that contains numerous provisions previously rejected by Congress. This proposed bill would expand police surveillance powers and significantly infringe on the privacy of innocent people. It would treat drug offenses as terrorist crimes, create incentives for government agents to conduct illegal searches and remove constitutional protections on government investigations.
Ongoing	Fire Rumsfeld and Change Iraq Course!	Send this letter to your representative: "Congress must withhold the $87 billion requested by President Bush until he dismisses the team responsible for the quagmire in Iraq -- starting with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld -- and ends the U.S. occupation of Iraq by transferring authority for rebuilding to the U.N."
Ongoing	Protect the Clean Water Act	In 1972 Congress passed the Clean Water Act to make the nation's waters safe for fishing and swimming, eliminate harmful discharges of pollution, and protect the nation's wetlands. Now, this landmark law and the waters it protects are under attack. Ask your Members of Congress to tell the Bush administration to reject the attempt by polluting industries to reverse 30 years of progress and instead make sure that the Clean Water Act continues to protect all of our nation's waters.
Ongoing	Join the ?Million Faces? petition to stop the arms trade crisis	Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam are collecting photos and self-portraits of people from around the world to demonstrate to governments that we need effective and urgent action to control the arms trade crisis. Add yours today!
Ongoing	Stop the RIAA's legal rampage	The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is on a rampage, launching legal attacks against average Americans from coast to coast. Rather than working to create a rational, legal means by which its customers can take advantage of file-sharing technology and pay a fair price for the music they love, it has chosen to sue working class people.
Ongoing	Support the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act	The 2004 presidential election may prove to be more fraudulent than the 2000 election. Communities all across America are purchasing electronic voting (e-voting) machines, but there are serious security issues with the technology that aren't being addressed. This House resolution attempts to address them. Please click on the link an encourage your representatives to support this legislation.
Ongoing	Voting Machine Standard Generates Controversy	In the aftermath of the Florida election debacle, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), took up the question of standards for voting equipment. While a great initiative, the standard fails to require or even recommend voting machine designs that permit voters to verify their votes. The voting machine manufacturing industry is reportedly manipulating the IEEE's progress on this standard. Please speak out to the IEEE about this issue.
Ongoing	US "Justice" Dept sues Americans helping Iraqi citizens	The US Justice Department has sued Voices in the Wilderness in federal court to try to collect a fine from them of $20,000 for bringing medicines to the people of Iraq. Sign the letter in this action alert and send a message to Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Ongoing	Petition against Bush and Blair for Nobel Peace Prize	Harald T. Nesvik, a Right-wing Norwegian Member of Parliament, has nominated U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize for their "decisive action against terrorism". Sign this petition to tell you agree on rejecting Bush and Blair from Nobel Prize Nomination.
Ongoing	Register to Vote!	Please don't complain about the state of things if you've not been voting! Note: Viewing and printing this voter registration form requires the Adobe Acrobat viewer.
Ongoing	Support Instant Runoff Voting!	Our country is locked in a two-party system by our "winner takes all" election process. Any third party with fresh ideas automatically takes away from the party that's ideologically similar to them. That's why the Green Party "steals" votes from the Democratic Party, and the Democrats have been thinking their only salvation lies in moving to the right. Instant Runoff Voting means that many new parties could enter the political arena without this "stealing" of votes. Wouldn't it be great if you never had to worry about "wasting your vote" again? See a related story on the success of the new multi-party democracy in Scotland and Wales.
Ongoing	A Citizens' Declaration	An online petition by MoveOn, encouraging people to join together in a declaration of our continued commitment to international cooperation.
Ongoing	Peace Flags Available	We offer some "Peace Flags" for sale, suitable for displaying in your yard. Stand up and be noticed!