John Lennon once said, “A working class hero is something to be”. That song must have been played repeatedly on the I-pods of both Sarah Palin, and Joe Biden before the debate last night. It seemed like every other sentence uttered by the candidates was a childhood memory recalled from their days on Main Street, Scranton, or the Wild frontier for all we know. Now call me an elitist, anarchist, or maybe just a New Yorker, but when two Vice Presidential candidates use their “small town values” as one of the main qualifications for the White house, I think one thing. Bullshit.

These are politicians not employees at your local Home Depot. They are at top of the social spectrum. I guarantee you that the last time either of these candidates had to confront the struggles that most Americans face on a daily basis, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was still in theatres. Yes, both candidates rose through the ranks of their respected generations from their small town roots but that is yesterdays news. The way that they both used it as a political tactic was nauseating, and as obvious as McCain’s choice of Palin as a running mate in the first place.  Since when did being a small town Americ an become a desirable credential for the second highest political office in the most influential country in the Western World.
 

How are we as young people of America expected to trust, tolerate, and support a person who can stare straight into a camera lens, and state things that she knows are untrue? As I sat on my couch staring into the television screen at her polished, smiling face, I could see all the false promises and lies that have helped elect men like Bush and Cheney into office in 2004. We as a country deserve more than a PTA MILF with a hidden agenda, who calls herself a patriot. I say no more. No more may we be misled by these false, flag wavers who engage in duplicitous policies that are corroding this country to the bone. And honestly, I was furious at Joe Biden for not attacking Sarah Palin for all of her deception and outright lies regarding Obama and the taxation of the middle class which anyone with a third grade education could clearly read on his website can read on his website that he is not suggesting he will do! Does McCain/Palin really think that Americans consider making 250,000 dollars a year middle class?

We have approached critical point as a country. This airplane called America is on the verge of plunging into the ground, and at one of the final opportunities to turn the plane upwards, John McCain c`hooses a co-pilot with the intelligence of a toddler! We truly need more, and deserve more as a nation. McCain was a worthy candidate for president of the United States but his first presidential decision (choosing Palin as his running mate) proved that he considered the game of politics more important than substance.

Editors Note:
Here at TuneInTurnOnHelpOut.org, we feel hopeful by receiving posts from younger readers who are already as informed and tuned in to politics and social causes as Tyler is, and proud to feature his refelctions on the vice presidential debate. It is inspiring to consider that statistics show that Tyler is not unique in that many in this age group are equally informed, concerned, and already active in arenas that many twice his age still don’t give much thought to. They are a special breed, these new “millenium kids.” But at the same time, it is an odd and distrubing sign of the times when a 15 year old (someone not yet even voting age) is able so simply and insightfully to say what so many Americans are feeling during one of the most overtly embarrasing political decisions ever made in American politics.

The word “shock” comes to mind that there is even one soul that takes the “Palin for Vice President” idea seriously, let alone that there might be tens of thousands of them. But things are as they are in America today. We must all do our best to come to this election with open minds and tolerance for all citizens involved in the democratic process; and most importantly we must remember that our own example is by far the best lesson we have to teach others and that helping to inform our fellow citizens is our best bet for securing for ourselves the best choice for President and Vice President.

It is ironic that one of those moments of education and informing comes from someone so young, but who already is perceptive and wise enough to be able to see how uninformed the Republican party assumes that many Americans are. Let us hope that the American public teaches them a lesson of their own at the polls this November and shows them that the American people aren’t as dumb as they assume we are.

If there are other people in this age group — tweens and teenagers — who have ideas of their own about this year’s election, or politics in general, or social causes, we want to hear from you. Please feel free to post a comment, or email your ideas into us to post for others to read. And thank you Tyler Bejoian. we believe you said what a lot of people were thinking that night. Good on ya mate!

Dear fans, friends, fellow Facebookers, and fellow Americans,

Yes you read it right. Although completely ignored by the mainstream press this week, over 300 of our fellow citizens were arrested for peacefully demonstrating outside the Republican National Convention last week. With our band releasing a new album this week, I am busy and excited about life; as I am sure each of you are about your own lives. But I still feel it is important to take this time now to share with you the letter that I have written to St. Paul, Minnesota Mayor Chris Coleman asking him to remember where we live…. Last time I checked we called it The United States of America. And from what I can remember from those grueling lessons as a young boy in elementary school U S of A meant a little something called “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It also meant “liberty and justice for all.” Read more about the arrests of over 300 Americans at the RNC here.

The reason I am taking the time to write this evening, on the eve before the day of a very special album release for our band TRANSCENDENCE, is because I believe this matter is important. As much as I love music and art and truth and love and romance and beauty, I believe that freedom, justice, and liberty have to be the foundation which these other pleasures of our lives rest on. Our fellow citizens who are currently locked up in jail cells in St. Paul are not able to experience the basic pleasures of their lives right now… and for no other reason than they were exercising their American right to peaceably assemble.

Although I was unable to attend the demonstrations at this year’s RNC, I was at the last one here in New York City in 2004. And let me tell you, things have gotten strange here in America. It is as if we are at war, we the American people versus whoever “the police” are working for — in this case it was the St. Paul Minnesota government. I have been lucky to always manage to escape without getting too hurt in these demonstrations, but in the last ten years I have been to marches and demonstrations all over America and what i witness time and time again is tens of thousands of peace loving American people of all ages and races marching or walking in solidarity together and then every single time hundreds of police officers arrive on horseback and in big riot trucks and they are always dressed in full riot gear looking much like “stormtroopers” with bulletproof vests, knee and ankle guards, and helmets, armed with guns, rifles, tear gas, mace, billy clubs, and guns that shoot giant rubber bullets.

I have seen and videotaped these poor confused men “doing their job” - spraying tear gas in the eyes of young college kids till they were screaming and crying. I have seen them shoot middle aged women at point blank range and knock them off their feet. I have seen them beat kids, old people, and regular folk like you and me till they are bleeding and then handcuff them and drag them on the ground to a truck and arrest them.

This is not my idea of “the freedom to peacefully assemble.” I do not know WHEN this happened in our country. Perhaps we just got so distracted in the roaring 80’s or the economic boom of the late 90’s that we didn’t bother to notice. But it is happening now all over America. The threat is very real now that we the people no longer have our right to free speech or peaceably assemble. The fact that the St. Paul Mayor’s office arrested more than 300 American citizens from every state in our nation in a little less than an hour for doing nothing more than demonstrating outside the RNC is a frightening symptom that something has gone terribly wrong with our “democracy.” If i wouldn’t have seen it for myself over the last ten years, I would think that much of this is exaggerated. Unfortunately it is not. Check out some of the Transcendent Television shows on YouTube and you will see my own footage that i have taken of the police brutality that is common now when American people assemble in protests or peace marches.

One thing I would like to add in conclusion is that as most of you know, I do not believe that our war against oppression has been lost. I do not agree with some who claim that America has turned into a “police state.” It only appears that way. And yes it IS scary. Not even middle aged American moms and housewives are safe anymore. I have seen police shoot and tear gas them as well unfortunately. But let us all remember that the police work for US. The Mayor of St. Paul Minnesota Chris Coleman works for US. We hired him, we pay his salary. He is our employee. Perhaps he has forgotten this. It appears he has. (This is where real campaign finance reform needs to be instituted in America.) Let us be the ones who remind him of this fact.

But most importantly let us be respectful and remember that even the apparent ‘bad guys’ in these situations - the police and the Mayor and other government officials who are conspiring to dismantle our basic American freedoms - are still our fellow citizens. Let us communicate with them politely and respectfully.

Please see my letter below that I wrote and have sent to the St. Paul’s mayor’s office and click the link below to send your own. As always thank you for listening and taking part in this important social cause.

Sincerely,

Ed Hale

Please take a moment and click this link to send a letter to Chris Coleman, the mayor of St. Paul, demanding that all protesters and social justice organizers be released, and that all charged be dropped.

Dear St. Paul City Government Officials,

I find it very hard to believe that we as American Citizens are having to go to such lengths to speak up and defend the basic civil rights of fellow citizens of this great country of ours. The fact that we the American people — with all the concerns and turmoil facing our troubled nation at this time — are being forced to take the time to write letters, emails, and call you in order to remind you of the most basic liberties that the men and women you now hold in custody are entitled to is reprehensible on your part. It is also a disturbing reminder of just how twisted and unjust the times that we live in have become.

St. Paul is a great city. As someone who makes his living from traveling this vast and vibrant country of ours I can attest to that. Whatever the mistake or error in judgment or action that led to these arrests of over 300 peaceful American’s exercising their right to free speech and the right to assemble, the solution is a simple one and I am quite sure that the American people will forgive St. Paul. We are a kind, caring, and compassionate people. Upon reflection I am sure you all will come to conclude this is precisely why these concerned Americans were participating in this important cause of social justice and human rights.

I am writing to join with the tens of thousands of other Americans who demand that you release all protesters and social justice organizers who have been arrested this week while carrying out their First Amendment rights at the RNC. The real law-breakers over the last ten years have been the “law enforcement” authorities, who I have personally seen systematically violate the free speech rights of, and in more than a few cases carried out physical abuse against, protesters — from teenagers to middle aged mothers and grandmothers.

At various peace and justice demonstrations all across America since the Iraq war began I have seen law enforcement officers, dressed in full riot gear, tear gas old men and women to the point where they have made them sob and scream in agony - just for walking down an American street carrying a sign that said PEACE. I have been shot at so many times by police officers myself just for marching to save human lives that I have often questioned who are the good guys and who are the bad guys now in America. Is this not the same country I was taught to say the pledge of allegiance to as a child?

I have seen this same group called “police officers” shoot rubber bullets at college students, young girls and boys, grown men, and even women — all American citizens from all walks of life — countless times for absolutely no reason other than they were marching to protect other human beings or to protest what they see as injustice. Millions of people watched the police force of St. Paul, MN do the same this past week.

Aren’t these actions, citizens marching, protesting, speaking up in the face of injustice, the same activities that are at the very foundation of our Republic when it was founded? And so the question is begged: has the police force of St. Paul changed its goal and mission to police the American people rather than criminals? Is “protect and serve” no longer applicable in St. Paul? The very public actions that the St. Paul police force took this week, and continues to take while incarcerating these innocent Americans who were brave enough to take action and speak up for each of us seem to suggest that the American people now need to hire and train their own police force to protect them from the St. Paul police force and others like them. I am certain this is not your desire nor the intention behind the mistaken arrests of these American citizens, human rights advocates, attorneys, organizers, and journalists.

Sirs and madams of St. Paul, along with thousands of other concerned Americans across this proud and noble land of ours, I ask that you seriously consider the mistakes of this past week and the serious implications they hold for the reputation for the great state of Minneapolis and the entire country. We are a free people. We have fought hard for that freedom. We ask that you acknowledge and honor that freedom by releasing the American citizens that you are currently holding in your jail cells.

Thank you for your time and consideration of our requests as fellow American Citizens.

Sincerely,

Ed Hale
TuneInTurnOnHelpOut.org

Mongolia evokes visions of the untamed–Genghis Khan, wild camels, Gobi Desert, and nomads racing shaggy ponies across the steppes. It is hardly the place you would expect to find a how-to seminar on expanding awareness.

Beautiful Ilu Kim (Ilu is short for ‘I love you’) and her team of twenty-seven Avatar Masters, have a passion for awakening people to their full potential. “Avatar teaches you,” said Ilu, “how to flexibly achieve your dreams. That is especially important when you run into unexpected obstacles.” Her willingness to be flexible was tested on the fourth day of the nine-day Mongolian Avatar Course, when the host hotel in Tefelj National Park, a few hours outside of Ulaanbaatar, lost complete electric power.

“Since it was brighter outside than in the conference room,” said Kim, “we moved the course to the hill behind the hotel.”

She challenged the thirty-five students to turn the inconvenience of no electricity, and no working plumbing into a bonus adventure. They did. Mountains, forests, and streams became the walls of the classroom. Day five and six of the course proceeded with only occasional interruptions from wandering livestock and friendly villagers. The land, the Avatar Course exercises, and the Mongolian people blended into a flowing expression of nomadic consciousness.

“For the final section of the course, we moved from the hill to a little forest in the valley along a stream. We fell fully into the feel of the land,” continued Kim. “Doing the Avatar exercises under the trees made us feel like Buddha. We announced the first graduates as Forest Avatars.”

While most Avatar Courses are easily completed in nine days, this one continued into a sightseeing trip after the course–flexibility, again. Two buses were located and the team and students set off for an eight-hour, cross-country trip to the Banyan settlement in the Gobi Desert. In this part of Mongolian, roads are non-existent, and only the driver’s steady hand provides direction.

At Banyan, after a traditional Mongolian meal, class resumed. While the students finished their exercises, the Avatar Masters arranged sleeping yurts for everyone. The last graduates were announced under the unblinking stars of the Gobi as Desert Avatars.

“I operate with the deliberate belief,” says Ilu, “that everything always works out for us, and it always does. One day soon there will be many Avatars in Mongolia. I think the ghost of Genghis Khan will be pleased.”

Developed in 1986, the Avatar Course is delivered in 20 languages and is taught by licensed Avatar Masters in 71 countries. Graduates report reduced stress, increases in personal happiness, and greater success in reaching their goals. Newsletter at http://www.theavatartimes.com

For additional information on the Avatar course, contact Harry Palmer or visit http://www.avatarepc.com.

ABOUT STAR’S EDGE INTERNATIONAL - Star’s Edge International publishes books, videos, online materials, and a series of experiential courses that guide people into and through transformative experiences. The company was founded in 1986 and operates worldwide. Avatar® is a registered trademark of Star’s Edge, Inc.

Stars Edge International

Many Progressive voters who helped Obama to become the prospective Democratic nominee for president are now questioning their support of the candidate. According to a story from the NY Times:

In the breathless weeks before the Oregon presidential primary in May, Martha Shade did what thousands of other people here did: she registered as a Democrat so she could vote for Senator Barack Obama.

Now, however, after critics have accused Mr. Obama of shifting positions on issues like the war in Iraq, the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants, gun control and the death penalty - all in what some view as a shameless play to a general election audience - Ms. Shade said she planned to switch back to the Green Party.

The other night, after a day out in the sun, my daughter noted that the top of my head was red with sunburn. I reassured her, telling her not to worry, that by morning, my head would return to my natural skin color, beige. That’s right. Even though I’m known as a “white man”, I’m not shiny white, but boring beige. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is referred to as a “black man”. But on closer inspection, he’s not black, at all, but brown. But that’s not the only color confusion surrounding Obama. While many of his critics complain that he’s too green (inexperienced) to run for president, I don’t think he’s green (Party) enough.

My friend, Roberta (not his real name), posited an interesting question the other day. A one-time Obama supporter, Roberta wondered if Barack would have voted against the Iraq War authorization had he actually been a US Senator, being that he apparently caved in to pressure from the White House, the Right, and maybe even lobbyists (no, not Barack!) , on the FISA vote. Or maybe he was just being calculating. In any case, with his vote, Obama flip-flopped from his position against telecom immunity during the primaries. Roberta suggested that when Obama made his 2002 speech against the impending war, as a state (not US) senator, he spoke his truth. But with his vote on FISA, and his new view on the Death Penalty, Roberta’s not so sure what Obama’s truths are, and if he’s able to stand up for those truths when it really matters. Or, if he is, as Reverend Wright suggested, “a politician”. What drew me to Barack was his assertion that he was running against the “old politics”, like those practiced by the Clintons. But now, when it matters, he’s triangulating like a good centrist.

Unlike Ms. Shade, I did not register as a Democrat so I could vote for Obama in the primary here in New York. I registered as a Green back in the Clinton years, after being duped in 1992, and I have no plans to align again with two party system. It is, along with the Electoral College, largely responsible for the sorry state of America. In ‘92, after twelve years of mind-bending manipulation on behalf of Corporate America, courtesy of Reagan/Bush, Bill Clinton slickly presented himself as a pendulum swing back to sanity. But fooled I was when Bubba turned out to be a turncoat in revealing himself as a shill for Wall Street, by foisting upon us NAFTA, GATT, and China free trade, once we awarded him with the presidency.

Barack Obama may be doing “what’s necessary” to get elected. And, considering the alternative, we really have no choice. But, now that the curtain has been pulled back, and the Kool Aid has worn off, I’ll put my efforts into working to get local Green Party candidates elected, and may even vote for our newly chosen presidential candidate, Cynthia McKiney, or even Raph Nader (I’ve done it before). While that may sound shocking, or even a threat to an Obama victory, remember that our presidential elections are not based on a one person - one vote basis. Rather, the Electoral College process keeps in place a system that cuts out the heart of the democratic process, as we vote by state, for delegates. So, here in New York, where Obama will win the state by double digits, I can write-in Elvis, and it will make no real difference in the final tally. If you live in a purple or red state, however, you have less options. What nonsense! Without election reform, that includes abolishing the Electoral College, we’ll forever be trapped in a process where presidential candidates play only to states “in play”, no matter what they say about a fifty-state strategy. And we went to war to show the Iraqis how to run a democracy?

To wrap up, there are many things about Obama and his candidacy that I like. I like that he’s a black (OK, brown) man with a serious shot at becoming president. I like that he’s got the ability to inspire people, most importantly young people, to the political process. But, ultimately, I like that he’s committed to ushering in an era of “new politics”. I just think it’s important that he views his “new politics” through glasses that are shaded earthly green, rather than corporate gray. If he keeps an ear tuned toward the youth, and Democratic Party consultants at bay, he may just have a shot.

Craig Gordon

And although my eyes were open,
They might just as well have been closed.
And so it was later,
As the miller told his tale,
That her face at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
- Keith Reid

In Pakistan this week, we saw the power of the people in action. Ordinary Pakistani citizens rose up to fight President Musharraf’s injustice and corruption, and, as a result, Musharraf resigned rather than face impeachment for his crimes against the constitution and judiciary. Our friend from Pakistan writes: “While the US media’s lens focused on the Taliban’s resurgence and US casualties in the region, a political and secular revolution was taking place in the streets of Pakistan. The fact that the people of Pakistan rose up against a US-backed military dictator and brought him down with such success is testimony to the will of Pakistan’s civilian leadership which wants to save the country from corrupt leaders–both military and religious.”

Let us take inspiration from the people of Pakistan. We, too, want to rise up to save our country from corrupt and unjust leaders.

That’s why we’ve been trailing Nancy Pelosi to urge her to put impeachment on the table click here to read Linda Milazzo’s stirring account of a recent disruption)

That’s why we will be in action at both the DNC and RNC conventions in the coming weeks.

That’s why we encourage you to find out what you can do in your own community during the conventions. Click here to learn how to bring the message of peace to Obama viewing parties, and discover other creative, effective actions you can take in your neighborhood.

That’s why we need you to mark your calendars for September 20th, when the peace community will come together in a massive effort to knock on one million doors for peace. We can do it if you join us.

Also, click here to find out how to reach out to your neighbors with our peace platform and remind them that they have the power at the polls to bring peace into the election!

We saw how the power of the people made a difference in Pakistan. Now let’s pool our power to bring about real change in our own country!

With hope in all our ruckus-raising hearts,
Alicia, Anne, Dana, Deidra, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jean, Jodie, Liz, Lori, Medea, Nancy, Rae and Tighe

Join the discussion with Mike by logging onto the live blog at http://meetthebloggers.org/. You can also submit a video question for Mike by clicking here.

Filmmaker and Brave New Foundation President Robert Greenwald will host the event.

See you on “Meet the Bloggers!”

Webmaster
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. Two of Michael’s producers from “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11″ — Tia Lessin and Carl Deal — have made an incredible documentary that’s opening tomorrow in New York and L.A. (and the rest of the country over the coming weeks). It’s called “Trouble the Water” and it won the Grand Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Click here for more info — and go see it!

Join Mike’s Mailing List | Join Mike’s Facebook Group | Become Mike’s MySpace Friend

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Watch Skyscrapers and Mountain Tops Flare with Red Smoke
Join Other Special Light Actions All Over The World
Drive Your Car With Lights On for 24 Hours
Light Up Any Source of Light for Tibet
Unite with more than people in THE GREATEST LIGHT PROTEST ON EARTH

H.H. the Dalai Lama Offers His Blessing to Candle for Tibet

So far so good. Response has been overtly positive and all of us here are very thankful to all of you who take the time out of your busy schedules to shoot off a quick thank you email. Not only does it help us feel good about the time, money, and effort that is necessary to keep the site up and running, but more importantly it inspires us because we realize that our overall mission is being fulfilled, i.e. to increase awareness of important causes and charities and get more people on the planet involved in volunteering or becoming more socially or politically active. Again, so far so good. Thanks to all of you for playing a part in it!

Every now and then though one might notice that I do feel compelled to write an actual blog post instead of just suggest a cause. See yesterday’s rant entitled FUCK THE OLYMPICS as an example. (But don’t blame me for that one, because I didn’t write it. Some strange character who calls himself ”The Raconteur” did. But I allowed it in anyway. Freedom of speech and all that you know…

In any case let’s cut to the chase here. This simple blog post is to simply turn us all on to one of the coolest non-profits I have heard of in a long time. The long and the short of it is this: New York City has 14 million people living in it. (all five boroughs). 8 million on just the island of Manhattan alone. This can create quite a mess if left unkept. I personally always wondered how Manhattan managed to stay so clean and beautiful considering how many people live on this tiny little island.

Well it turns out that some of the credit belongs to this ingenius little organization called The Doe Fund. And talk about ingenius. Not only do they keep the city looking beautiful, but they do it through driving straight to our local jails or prisons and giving men who have served their time with exceptional behavior a job right there on the spot. That way there is little chance that the men will find the dificulty of finding work coming right out of prison causing them to relapse into a life of crime… The company is a non-profit. The “men in blue” get the chance to earn an honest living and build or rebuild a career for themselves, and most of the money that is used to pay them comes from donations from individual or corporate donations.

I was very excited when i first learned of this orgnization. This is a real 21st century non-profit! A real win-win-win for everyone, from the inhabitants of the city, to the workers who are keeping the city looking so good, to the generous donors who are making it all possible, and of course the organization itself.

As the founder and president of the organization, George T. McDonald, states:

“The men of Ready, Willing & Able often come from very difficult backgrounds. They are products of poverty, poor education, alcoholism, drug addiction and families broken in ways most of us cannot imagine. Despite all of this, they come to us wanting to be productive and useful, wanting to be an asset to their families, communities and city, and wanting to share in both the benefits and responsibilities of being an American. As you come to know the individuals of Ready, Willing & Able, you appreciate the heroic proportion of their struggle to change and their profound gratitude for the opportunity that this program provides - structured paid work and collective caring.”

Please take some time to visit thier site and learn more about them. I would also be very interested to learn if other cities around the world have similar such programs. If you know of any, please feel free to comment.

Sincerely,
The Ambassador

If we repower America and generate 100% of our electricity from clean sources within ten years, we can bring our energy costs down.

A lot of people are surprised when they find out how quickly we can make this transition. We’ve built

We can start relying on fuels that are free and abundant right here at home. Fuels like the sun and wind. Once our electricity grid is based on clean sources, we can plug in our cars, use those free energy sources, and stop paying through the nose to the oil companies.

On the day Exxon announced its record profits, I testified before the U.S. Congress. I explained that there are no technical or material impediments to achieving the goal of 100% clean electricity within ten years. The only thing missing is political will. And that’s why the We Campaign exists — to build support for solutions that can revitalize our economy and solve the climate crisis.

The average score of people who’ve taken the quiz is 63% Can you beat that?

Sincerely,
Cathy Zoi
CEO

Dear TuneInTurnOnHelpOut.org,

I just returned from a trip to Rwanda with my friend Senator Bill Frist, MD and leaders from both political parties. Senator Frist and I went to Rwanda not as politicians, but as students, to learn about people who are rebuilding their country after the unspeakable horror of genocide.

My news from Rwanda is very encouraging. The hard work of the Rwandan people and the generosity of Americans are coming together in partnership to create a model for how we can end poverty in the most desperate countries on earth.

I came home more convinced then ever that we’re all in this together. Rwandans’ daily struggle to start anew, even as they deal with poverty and disease, is also our own struggle to build a more prosperous and safer world.

To further the progress in Rwanda and spread that hope, we need to take full advantage of this election year. That’s why Senator Frist and I will be meeting with our respective parties’ leaders in the next few weeks, as they’re writing the platforms that will be unveiled at the presidential nominating conventions in Denver and Minneapolis. These platforms contain the policies on which Barack Obama and John McCain will campaign for the presidency.

We’re going to ask these committees to make sure that their platforms take on the generational challenge of tackling global poverty, and we need your help to do it.

Click the link to sign the petition seen below, and I’ll deliver your signature when I meet with representatives from the Democratic Party – and Senator Frist will do the same on the Republican side – to ask these political leaders to include extreme poverty and global disease in their 2008 platforms.

http://www.one.org/platforms/o.pl?id=443-3920770-Q1PonMx&t=2

As a proud American, I urge you to make ending extreme poverty and global disease in the developing world a core part of your 2008 platform by including commitments to:

Fight AIDS, TB and malaria and improve basic health services, particularly for mothers and young children

Ensure access to clean water, basic sanitation and sufficient food supplies

Spur economic growth through equitable trade and investment policies

Modernize and increase development assistance, focusing on partnership, transparency and accountability

Achieve universal primary education

In Rwanda, I saw the tremendous impact of some of the very things you’ve worked to make possible. Deaths from malaria have been cut by 66%, in large part because of the increase in bed net and anti-malarial medicine distribution. The death rate from malaria, as well AIDS and TB is going to continue to fall, because of your work pressuring Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR, America’s global AIDS bill, for five more years.

Victories like PEPFAR are saving lives and giving people in places like Rwanda new hope, making the whole world a safer and more prosperous place. Now we have the chance to make ending extreme poverty and global disease a focus for the Democratic and Republican parties.

Click below to sign the petition and I’ll deliver your signature when I meet with Democratic Party leaders to ask them to make the struggle against global poverty a priority in 2008.

http://www.one.org/platforms/o.pl?id=443-3920770-Q1PonMx&t=3

My late friend Paul Wellstone was fond of saying that, “The poor don’t have a lobbyist. That’s why I went to Washington.” The hope for a better future that Senator Frist and I saw in Rwanda shows what’s possible when two million of us “go to Washington” on behalf of the world’s poorest people. This summer, together, we have the chance to go to Denver and Minneapolis and show that ending global poverty is a priority for both political parties.

Thank you for joining me,

Senator Tom Daschle
ONE Member and National Co-Chair ONE Vote ‘08