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Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris accepts Code PINK thank you for signing National Mayors' Resolution and also signs the Don't Attack Iran petition that we are sending to the City Council.

For more information and additional images, see CVille CodePink.

Join the movement against Sexual Assault in Charlottesville and the surrounding region!

WHAT: The Sexual Assault Resource Agency will provide a 40-hour training this fall for community volunteers to serve on our 24-hour hotline.

WHEN: September 30th through November 13th | Tues/Thurs evenings

CONTACT: Laurie Jean at CrisisServicesCoordinator@SexualAssaultResources.org or 434.295.7273

By David Swanson

There are still people alive in the United States who support the continued occupation of Iraq, and in many cases the same people are open to supporting an aggressive attack on Iran. While they inhabit a very different worldview from my own, they are able to recognize basic facts if made aware of them. If you should meet one of these war supporters, I would recommend making them aware of the two most jarring facts least likely to fit with their preconceptions. One of these facts became known to a certain segment of the population in February 2006, but remains unknown to most consumers of American news media. The other fact was just revealed this month and is certain to remain equally unknown.

Agenda
STATE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
DMHMRSAS
Region Ten CSB Administrative Offices
Large Conference Room
502 Old Lynchburg Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
August 1, 2008
10:00 a.m. Special Meeting
Welcome / Call to Order
Variance
Western State Hospital
12 VAC 35-115-110, use of Seclusion, Restraint and Time Out
Appeal
Western State Hospital - CC v Jack Barber

By Texas Explorer, Democratic Underground

Willie Nelson, speaking on the Alex Jones show, has just announced that he would be a driving factor in a new Farm Aid-type event that will focus on supporting Dennis Kucinich's efforts to impeach george bush. It will also be an anti-war event. This plan is literally coming together as I type. Willie has just committed to it.

By Mark Weisbrot, AlterNet

Who says there's no anti-war movement in the United States? In the past two months, the anti-war movement has taken on one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the United States in an important fight. And so far, the anti-war movement is winning.

From Leslie Cagan, www.unitedforpeace.org

Please circulate this memo to your own lists and the members of your group or organization.

This Friday, July 25th, the House Judiciary Committee will convene a hearing called "Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations." While not defined explicitly as a hearing on the articles of impeachment that Rep. Dennis Kucinich has put forth, this is the closest we've seen to a formal discussion on Capitol Hill related to the issue of impeachment. Click here for the AP article explaining what's happening: LINK.

There are several things you and your group can do between now and Friday:

* By clicking here http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary you can send a message to members of the House Judiciary Committee. Be sure to tell them how important it is for them to be at the hearing on Friday, and for them to speak up for impeachment.

* Get in touch with your local media outlets before Friday and urge them to fully cover the hearing. And it would be great if you can also get in touch with national media outlets to demand that they cover the hearing. For media contact information click here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/

* Sign - and get others to sign - the petition organized by Dennis Kucinich: http://impeachment.kucinich.us/petition/ (We had some trouble logging on to this site, so please be patient and keep trying!)

* If you are in or near Washington, DC try to get to the hearing yourself. Folks need to be there early, by 9 am. The hearing will be in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2141 starting at 10 am. For more information contact ningroup@gmail.com

Below is some more information about the plans for the Friday hearing, as prepared by AfterDowningStreet.org , a member group of UFPJ.

peace,

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator, UFPJ

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Busses to Demonstration Against Attacking Iran - Saturday, August 2nd

A committee of CCPJ is working to reserve busses so that we can all demonstrate in Washington, D.C., and/or Virginia Beach on August 2nd, a national day of action organized by: http://stopwaroniran.org

MEETING CANCELED:
Promoting Resolution at City Council Meeting - Tuesday, August 4th - Charlottesville City Hall

Please attend the City Council meeting with us on August 4 to push for consideration and passage of a resolution opposing an attack on Iran.

Forum: Alternatives to Attacking Iran, with Helena Cobban and Carah Ong
Monday, July 21st
7 p.m. at the County Office Building

Beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday evening, we'll be presenting a free public forum on alternatives to attacking Iran, featuring remarks by Carah Ong and Helena Cobban.

At 10 a.m. on Friday July 25th, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a preliminary hearing on the topic of impeachment, with a presentation by Congressman Dennis Kucinich. This is not yet a true impeachment hearing, but it is our opportunity to push for one, and it represents a tremendous victory after years of effort by millions of Americans who want to keep the Constitution alive. This never would have happened without your hard work. And we can't let up now!

The National Impeachment Network is organizing a rally and asking everyone who can to take a day off for justice and meet at 9 a.m. on Friday July 25th in front of the Rayburn House Office Building on the Independence Avenue side. Bring impeachment shirts and posters! For more information contact ningroup@gmail.com

NOTE: The hearing has not been announced, but two members of Congress closely involved in this have told us it is at 10 a.m. on the 25th, and Chairman Conyers himself has so informed Veterans for Peace.

Between now and Friday the 25th, please take these steps:

Contact your member of Congress in support of impeachment.

Ask the media to cover the hearing.

Sign the petition at Congressman Kucinich's website.

By David Swanson

Six years ago Congressman Virgil Goode helped to frighten and defraud the nation into a disastrous war in Iraq that has gotten worse each year since then, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Now Goode is helping to push similar scary stories about Iran in an effort that appears aimed at dragging us into another war, and nobody has asked him about it.

Goode is a cosponsor of a resolution in Congress called H Con Res 362, the lengthy title of which expresses fear of "Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and regional hegemony." Hmm. This from the world's biggest possessor of nuclear weapons, the only nation ever to have used nuclear weapons, a nation making frequent use of depleted uranium weapons, and -- speaking of hegemony -- the nation occupying the two countries to the east and west of Iran. Apparently irony, if not wisdom, is alive and well in Washington.

Here's a blank petition form you can print and collect signatures on anytime anywhere:
http://charlottesvillepeace.org/files/iranpetition.pdf

A RESOLUTION OPPOSING U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN

WHEREAS, The President and members of his administration have alleged that Iran poses an imminent threat to the United States, U.S. troops in the Middle East and U.S. allies, and

Listen to our radio ad - we can air it more the more you donate!

Street Theater and Petitioning
Friday, July 18th
From 6 p.m. on at the Freedom of Expression Wall on the Downtown Mall

This Friday evening, visitors to Charlottesville's Downtown Mall during the free Fridays After Five concert will see giant puppets on stilts, posters and banners, hundreds of people wearing free "Don't Attack Iran" stickers, and dozens of people collecting signatures on a petition to urge Charlottesville City Council to take a position against the United States attacking Iran. Please meet us near the Freedom of Expression Wall at any time from 6 p.m. on. Please, if you can, bring signs and posters opposing an attack on Iran.

The Virginia Anti-War Network has a new website. Check it out:

By Jonathan Schwarz

John McCain is having a townhall-by-telephone for Virginians tonight at 7:00 pm ET. Anyone with a Virginia area code—and maybe people with unidentified area codes—should be able to call in and possibly ask him a question. As far as I know questions aren't screened, and everyone has an equal chance of being called on.

Here's how it works:

Dial: 1-877-850-4146
Passcode: 84831

These are a few questions I'd try to ask if I were from Virginia:

Keep an eye on which of them choose to toss out the Fourth Amendment too.

UPDATE: Webb and Warner just both voted to scrap the 4th Amendment and coverup Bush's warrantless spying crimes, as did Goode last month.

Who is representing us exactly?

A committee of CCPJ is planning events for late July aimed at opposing a U.S. attack on Iran, part of a national effort. These events will likely include a presence at the July 18th Fridays After Five at the Downtown Mall, which will include huge puppets on stilts, posters, stickers, and tables with petitions on clipboards. The 18th is a national day of similar events. We may also be promoting a forum with speakers on July 21st. And a separate committee is working to reserve busses so that we can all demonstrate in Washington, D.C., and/or Virginia Beach on August 2nd, a national day of action. We then hope to present a resolution to the Charlottesville City Council on August 4th, and it is in support of that resolution that we will begin collecting signatures on July 18th. A draft of the resolution is pasted below for your comments and suggestions.

By Brian McNeill, Charlottesville Daily Progress

Under a proposed overhaul of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, future American presidents would be required by law to consult with congressional leaders before entering into any major armed conflict.

The proposal by the bipartisan National War Powers Commission — co-chaired by former secretaries of state James A. Baker III and Warren Christopher — aims to add more meaningful cooperation between the executive and judicial branches when it comes to matters of war and peace.

The commission, which was convened by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, released its final report Tuesday after 13 months of study. READ THE REST.

Community Leaders in Virginia Join Together to Push for Quality, Affordable Health Care for Every American

Today, in Richmond and in 52 other cities across the country, including 37 state capitals, a new national campaign is bringing together millions of Americans to demand quality, affordable health care for all. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is being launched by 95 national and local groups that represent labor, community organizations, doctors, nurses, women, small businesses, faith-based organizations, people of color, netroots activists, and think tanks. Health Care for America Now is organizing to assure that the first order of business of the next President and Congress is to pass legislation in 2009 that guarantees quality, affordable health care for all.

Health Care for America Now is an unprecedented coalition including ACORN, AFSCME, American Academy of Pediatricians, American Nurses Association, Americans United for Change, Campaign for America's Future, Center for American Progress Action Fund, Center for Community Change, MoveOn, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Education Association, National Women's Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, SEIU, United Food and Commercial Workers, and USAction.

By xofferson, DocuDharma

I had promised to report on the National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation held June 28-29 in Cleveland, but delayed it to await an official summary of the actions taken there. Unless you were in the room almost all of the time for the debate and votes, it was impossible to know exactly what decisions the 400-plus participants made. And I confess to spending a good chunk of time "networking" and kibitzing in the halls.

Now the organizers have produced their summary and evaluation, which you can read it its entirety here.