Communities United

Women’s Health Day of Action
Tuesday, April 28, 2009 9am - 3pm
Inn on the Park, Madison
<<2009 Women’s Health Day of Action Invite.pdf>>
The Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH) is co-host of this year’s Women’s Health Day of Action in Madison.
All WAWH members and women’s health supporters are invited to join us on April 28th.  WAWH organizational supporters are all invited to sponsor this event. Please contact Sara for information on sponsorship opportunities.

The Women’s Health Day of Action will include:
¤ Lobbying 101 training
¤ State and federal legislative update briefings
¤ Group visits with your elected officials
¤ Keynote address by Eesha Pandit from Raising Women’s Voices
¤ Complimentary copy of the Raising Wisconsin Women’s Voices Toolkit
¤ Registration fee includes all materials, trainings, continental breakfast, and box lunch.
Please forward this email on to invite others to attend this wonderful event. To learn more and register to attend, please visit: http://www.ppawi.org/events. The registration deadline is April 10th.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.

Together for Women’s Health,
Sara

Do you have friends who would be interested in reading about these topics? Help us gather support for women’s health in Wisconsin through advocacy by forwarding this email to your friends and invite them to visit our website at www.supportwomenshealth.org

Texas IAM Local is 500th Union to Endorse HR 676

Houston, Texas. IAMAW Local Lodge 2339H in Houston, representing 5,000
flight attendants at Continental and Express Jet Airlines, is the 500th
union organization to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation
introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).

Christine Diaz, the Local’s Legislative Committee Chairperson, said: “It
was important for our local to stand in solidarity with the hundreds of
other labor organizations who have already endorsed HR 676. We are going
to win this fight at the grass roots level, and it is going to take
educating not only our members, but the general public, on the truth about
single payer health care.”

Rosalie Canton, President of Local Lodge 2339H, said: “When our
membership has to stop work for whatever reason, it is not uncommon to
hear, ‘Well, I will just have to risk not having health insurance for
three months. I cannot afford to pay for COBRA.’ The system must change
so that your health insurance is not tied to your employer. It just
doesn’t work anymore.”

The Legislative Committee has met with Rep. Gene Green but has not yet
secured his agreement to sign on as a co-sponsor of HR 676. #30#

HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a
greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S.

HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including
prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and
preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health,
physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision
care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable
medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care.

HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of
billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the
private health insurance industry and HMOs.

In the current Congress, HR 676 has 72 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers.

HR 676 has been endorsed by 500 union organizations in 49 states including
123 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state
AFL-CIO’s (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO,
MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI,
MT, NE, NY, NV & MA).

Troy, a former steelworker, now building wind turbine blades, asked for help in a signature drive to create jobs and investments like the one that saved his family.  I added my name to the We Campaign’s petition, and I hope you can as well.

Just watch the short video of his story and sign the petition here:

http://www.repoweramerica.org/troyvideo

Help send a message to our leaders in Washington.

Call for National Action for Peace in Afghanistan

Today, President Barack Obama announced his plans to send another 21,000 troops to Afghanistan: he is girding the nation for a long and costly military occupation there.

While he also made some good statements on increasing diplomacy and economic aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the emphasis is clearly on military operations. Predictably, the Pakistan and Afghan factions of the Taliban are already uniting to oppose our escalation of troops. As the spring fighting season approaches, only one thing is certain — more death, destruction, and misery in a desperately poor country that has had little respite from war for decades.

Here in the U.S., Obama’s escalation in Afghanistan and the continuing occupation of Iraq threaten our nation’s urgent economic and domestic agenda. Now is the time for more diplomacy, not more war!

United For Peace and Justice calls for immediate action for peace in Afghanistan. Here are three things you can do:

1) Call the White House today - 202-456-1414

Make sure President Obama knows that you disagree with his plans to send more troops to Afghanistan. Call the White House comment line at 202-456-1414 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM ET.

UFPJ calls for the following:

• A halt to the planned escalation of 21,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. We need to bring all our troops home now, not to send more into a country where military solutions have never worked.

• A strong commitment to diplomacy as the only solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. The U.S. must support negotiations already underway among various actors in Afghanistan, and must also engage all countries in the region with a stake in a peaceful Afghanistan. The announcement that Iran will join negotiations over Afghanistan is a positive development. We need to share more cups of tea for negotiating rather than more weapons where military solutions have never worked.*

• A dramatic shift from military spending by the U.S. to funding for Afghan-led humanitarian community development and reconstruction projects to enable Afghan communities to improve daily life for their own people. Our goal is to put an end to U.S. war funding.

Please let us know of the actions you are planning by posting them  on the UFPJ calendar.

*The reference is to the work of Greg Mortenson as described in his New York Times #1 best-selling book, ‘Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time’, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

HOUSE AND SENATE INTRODUCE DREAM ACT: A MEASURE TO ADDRESS THE PLIGHT OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS

Washington D.C. - Today, the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) was introduced by Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joe Lieberman (I- CT), Mel Martinez (R-FL), and Harry Reid (D-NV) in the Senate and Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), Joseph Cao (R-LA), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Devin Nunez (R-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) in the House of Representatives.  This bipartisan legislation addresses the situation faced by young people who were brought to the United States years ago as undocumented immigrant children, and who have since grown up here but are being denied the ability to fully contribute to society.

The DREAM Act would provide certain undocumented youth conditional legal status and eventual citizenship, if they attend college or join the military. It would also allow immigrant students access to higher education by returning to states the authority to determine who qualifies for in-state tuition.  “This critical piece of legislation makes it possible for many deserving young people to realize their dream of a college education” said Marielena Hincapié, Executive Director of the National Immigration Law Center, “and thereby contribute to the future of this country.”

For the first time since it was first introduced in 2001, the DREAM Act enjoys strong backing of House and Senate leadership, all of the relevant committee chairs and President Obama, who was an original sponsor of the legislation when he was in the Senate.

NILC commends the strong leadership shown by Senators Durbin and Lugar and Representatives Berman, Diaz-Balart and Roybal-Allard.  “To be competitive in today’s global economy, America depends on an educated and skilled population,” said Adey Fisseha, Interim Federal Policy Director of NILC.  “The DREAM Act realizes the benefit of having a more multicultural, multilingual U.S. workforce.  We urge the House and Senate to pass the DREAM Act and President Obama to sign this important bill into law,” added Fisseha.

To contact immigrant students, educators or for more information please contact: Adey Fisseha, Interim Federal Policy Director (Fisseha@nilc.org) 202-216-0261 ext.403

Hello all,

FYI

this is a call-in show [263-1890 is the Madison number]

Wisconsin Public radio
WHA 970 AM
also, 90.7 FM

6:00 AM  Joy Cardin - 03/26
Governor Doyle’s proposed budget would include free in-state tuition for students who graduate from Wisconsin high schools… yet are in the U.S. illegally.  After six, Joy Cardin talks with state lawmakers on both sides of the issue.  Guests: 6:00 - Glenn Grothman, Republican State Representative from West Bend.  6:30 - Pedro Colon, Democratic State Representative from Milwaukee.

WISCONSIN: BRING THE GUARD HOME!  IT’S THE LAW.

Dear Friends,

Time is running short.  We only have a couple more days to call on our state representatives to cosponsor legislation to keep our Wisconsin guard from being unlawfully deployed.  We need people from all over the state to call their State Representatives and State Senators.

Next week Representative Spencer Black and Senator John Erpenbach will be introducing legislation in both houses to help restore the rule of law and to end the war and occupation of Iraq.  The legislation directs the governor to review every federal call-up order of the Wisconsin Guard for its legality, and where there is no lawful basis for Guard federalization, to take action to keep the Wisconsin Guard at home.

This matter is urgent and we need to act by Friday March 27, each of us asking our State Representatives and State Senator to co-sponsor LRB 1256.  Time is of the essence.  Please call your state legislators TODAY!

Find contact information for your state legislators at http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx

There are currently only 5 co-sponsors in both houses combined – all of them from Dane County.

This legislation can help bring an end to the illegal and immoral war and occupation of Iraq.  The authority under which the Wisconsin Guard were deployed to Iraq was the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed by Congress in 2002.  That AUMF limited authorized military action to two purposes: 1) to foce Iraq to comply with then extant U.N. Security Council resolutions; and 2) to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat allegedly posed by Iraq.  Now that Saddam Hussein has been removed from power and we know that Iraq does not have – and never had- any weapons of mass destruction, the original mission has been completed and the 2002 AUMF is not in force.  Therefore, there is no legal basis for sending the Wisconsin National Guard to Iraq.

We need to show our state legislators that there is strong support in Wisconsin to end illegal National Guard deployments.  Call your representative today and please share this information widely.

In Solidarity,

Joy First

On behalf of Wisconsin: Bring the Guard Home! It’s the Law.

608 222-7581

jsfirst@tds.net

Check out the video of an interview of Karen Drydyk, UW-Whitewater, by Chuck Ogg….

http://blip.tv/file/1911178/

Here is the contact information for these two WNPJ member groups….

Rock River Peace and Justice Group Contact: Chuck Ogg
Address: 1208 Charles St, Ft. Atkinson - WI 53538
Phone: 920-568-0729
E-mail: oggc@psly.net Website: http://oggc@psly.net Website: http://www.aceee.org
July 28-31, 2009-The Conference Center Niagra Falls, Niagra Falls, New York
Deadline May 22, 2009
Notification by June 29, 2009

ACEEE is pleased to announce that a Student Scholarship to the 2009 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry will be awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited college or university whose course work is related to energy/energy efficiency, climate change, environmental science, or a related field of study, and who is considering a career in energy/energy efficiency. The Student Scholarship award to the 2009 Summer Study will pay for the conference registration fee, housing and meals, and some portion of transportation costs. Support for the Student Scholarship is being provided by members of ACEEE’s Ally Program.

An application form is available on the 2009 Summer Study Web site: http://aceee.org/conf/09ss/09ssindex.htm. Deadline for applications is May 22, 2009. Notification of the award will be made by June 29, 2009.

Students who may have already registered for Summer Study are eligible for this award!

Completed applications or questions about this opportunity may be sent to Ann Suydam, asuydam@aceee.org.

FILM RELAYS STUDY FINDINGS ON CHILDBEARING AMONG LATINA ADOLESCENTS IN CALIFORNIA

A Question of Hope: Reducing Latina Teen Childbearing in California is a film that aims to capture the insights, choices, and opportunities of young Latina women in California. The short film (approximately 22 minutes) was produced with support from the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division and the Office of Family Planning of the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Family Health. It is based on findings from a study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco, in which researchers interviewed pregnant Latinas who would soon deliver their first child. Half of those interviewed were adolescents and half were older, the latter having successfully delayed pregnancy until they were adults. Topics include knowledge of birth control, communicating with partners and parents about sex and life goals, the role of men in pregnancy prevention, intended and unintended pregnancy, and opportunities and education and career goals. A discussion of adolescent-pregnancy-prevention programs and concurrent strategies needed to combat Latina adolescent childbearing in California are presented. The film is intended for use by policymakers, health and social services professionals, and others concerned with helping adolescents delay childbearing until adulthood. The film is available at http://bixbycenter.ucsf.edu/videos/video-lo-1.html.

Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health
P.O. Box 1726 | Madison, WI | 53701-1726
[p] 608.251.0139 | 866.399.WAWH | [f] 608.256.3004
www.supportwomenshealth.org

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