Backwards Priorities: Abby Zimet | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday April 29, 2011       Weekly Highlight: On Ass-Backward Priorities: The Recession Is the Fault of Foster Children and Their Hoity Toity Clothes by Abby Zimet This Week's WTF News: Michigan's GOP lawmakers want to close a $1.4 billion deficit and fund $1.8 billion in business tax cuts. They propose to do this by cutting disability assistance, early childhood funding, indigent burial expenses and requiring foster children to spend their $79 clothing allowance only at second-hand stores. This might save as much as $200,000, and thus our national economy and the world as we know it. Sorry but we're speechless. "Give me a break." - Gilda Jacobs, president of the Michigan League for Human Services. From all of us at Common Dreams - A huge thank you to all who contributed to the Spring Campaign!!  With your help Common Dreams will continue to survive and move forward, bringing you news and providing perspective from the leading progressive thinkers and activists who are shut out of the corporate media. We can't do it without you! Our Weekly Most Read Views... Chris Hedges: The Corporate State Wins Again Johann Hari: Donald Trump's Lunacy Reveals Core Truth About the Republicans Jim Hightower: From Democracy to Plutocracy Will Hutton: The United States Faces a Crisis Not Seen Since the Depression Glenn Greenwald: President Obama Speaks on Manning and the Rule of Law Ray McGovern: Surprise, Surprise! Iraq War Was About Oil Rania Khalek: Today Detroit – Tomorrow, Every City in America Danny Schechter: Why Wall Street Is Winning Laura Flanders: Let’s Admit the Truth About American Royals Glen Ford: Michigan’s “Emergency” Financial Regime: What Fascism Looks Like Our Weekly Most Read Headlines... Democracy vs. Profit is Central Issue in Takeover of Benton Harbor, Mich. Chained Ethnic Studies Students Take Over School Board in Tucson White House Threatens to Blacklist Paper for Covering Protest Venezuela Institutes Windfall Oil Tax to Support Social Programs, Education Analysis: Banks Play Shell Game with Taxpayer Dollars Chernobyl Survivor Warns of 'Bombshell' in Japan Supreme Court Rejects Class-Action Arbitration 'Uncut' Activists Claim Purge of Facebook Pages Are US Floods, Fires Linked to Climate Change? Vermont Senate Gives Initial Approval to Single Payer Care Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Video Highlights... Daily Show: Exclusive - Bernie Sanders Extended Interview Thomas Frank: What's the Matter With Wisconsin? Daily Show: Exclusive - Elizabeth Warren Extended Interview Andrew Bacevich: Serious Thinking About US Military Action Zoe Weil: The World Becomes What We Teach Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe

Watch Tonight: Chomsky, Greenwald, Goodman, and Moore

Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives

Dear Common Dreamers, This evening we are pleased to host a live video stream from New York City where our allies and longtime friends at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) celebrate twenty-five years of hard-hitting media criticism and anti-censorship advocacy and activism.   A testament to FAIR's work and the important role they have played in the progressive community these last decades is the all-star cast of speakers that have come together for this anniversary event. Renowned activist and scholar Noam Chomsky, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, Salon.com columnist Glenn Greenwald and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore are all coming together tonight to support FAIR. Watch it here--and join them in supporting FAIR today! The show will run from  7-10 pm EST. We at Common Dreams applaud FAIR for all they have done, all they do, and for all the hard work still ahead.  We hope you'll tune in this evening for this wonderful event. Our very best, the Common Dreams team

Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to manage your subscription.

So close...

Dear Farhad,

It's time.

We need to wrap up our Spring Appeal today - so we can get back to doing what we do best: bringing you the best daily mix of progressive news and views...with no Royal Wedding coverage ever - guaranteed!

But before we can do that, we need to reach our goal of $50,000. Can you help today?

Your contribution - no matter what size - could be the one that puts us over the top. And keeps our budget on track.

In order to keep going, we rely on the generosity of thousands of readers who value our work. If you're a regular reader - or maybe a new one - and you haven't yet pitched in, could you make a small contribution today?

In exchange for your support, we promise to stay true to our mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.

We also promise to continue to keep our costs down, so we'll never have to cave in to advertisers.

Our staff is small, our hours long. We skimp on overhead.

But . . . it takes the right combination of dedicated people and modern technology to bring you the best of the best, 365 days a year. That's why every few months, we ask for your help.

We're so close. Just another couple thousand dollars and we'll hit our goal.

Please make your secure, tax-deductible online donation with your credit card, or your paypal account. Or, you can print our donation form and mail it to us with a check.

We can't do it without you! Thank you!

Sincerely,

Craig Brown
Executive Director

Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives

Click above to donate now! Or mail in your check payable to Common Dreams with this form. P.O. Box 443 Portland, ME 04112 United States Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our EIN is 20-3368194.) Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 2011 www.commondreams.org You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to manage your subscription.

Rand Shrugged | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday, April 22, 2011           Weekly Highlight: Rand Shrugged By Abby Zimet Questionable Role Model Dept: The right is big on Ayn Rand these days, with a new Atlas Shrugged film opening and everyone from Paul Ryan to Rush Limbaugh giddily citing her "virtue of selfishness" and other appalling tenets. ThinkProgress has more on the Right's infatuation with her and her shifty-eyed beliefs; more here on "a horribly damaged woman who deserves the one thing she spent her life raging against: compassion." Dear readers, We learned that right in the middle of our spring campaign this past week that our secure credit card processor was offline for several hours on a few occasions. Donations were not processing. If you encountered this and gave up, please try again. If you didn't give yet, please give now and help us reach our goal this weekend. We are close - only $6,000 to go!  Please give today! We can't do it without you, our readers. Thanks! Our Weekly Most Read Views... Ralph Nader: Waiting for the Spark Chris Hedges: Throw Out the Money Changers Rania Khalek: Corporate Coup d’état Coming Soon to a City Near You Noam Chomsky:Is the World Too Big to Fail? John Nichols: How Socialists Built America Robert Scheer: The New Corporate World Order Donna Smith: Quarter-Million Dead and Not Counting Tom Engelhardt: Sleepwalking into the Imperial Dark John Nichols: Palin's Madison Rally is Overwhelmed by Protest Crowd Brian Tierney: US Uncut: The New Movement against Austerity and Corporate Tax Cheats Our Weekly Most Read Headlines... Obama Ran Against Bush, But Now Governs Like Him No End in Sight for Nuclear Catastrophe in Japan Obama to Thousands of Young Climate Activists: Push Me As Offshoring Continues, US Public Peeved at "Free Market" Obama Fundraiser Interrupted by Protesters Seeking Release of Bradley Manning Wikileaks: 'US Helped Israel with UN Gaza War Probe' GOP Wave Reshapes Nation's Agenda State by State Path to Municipal Privatization? Emergency Chief Takes Action against Benton Harbor, Michigan Super Rich See Federal Taxes Drop Dramatically Van Jones At Power Shift 2011: ‘While They’re Stuck On Stupid In DC, Your Generation Is Rising’ Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Video Highlights... Democracy Now! Today's Live Stream How Much Did YOU Pay for War This Year? A Radical Experiment in Empathy: Sam Richards at TED.com Bill McKibben at Power Shift 2011: 'We're Going to Create the Future We Need Ourselves'   Bahrain's Iron Fist, Regional Implications, and the Role of US Policy Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe

Rousings of spring

Dear Farhad,

I can finally see and hear the rousings of spring.  

In our neck of the woods, the daffodils are at last showing their color. The sound of birds is getting louder every morning. The buds on the lilacs are growing. There is the sense that, yes, someday soon, we can put the winter clothes away.

It’s a time when we feel a sense of renewal. But it’s quite easy to get down during a long winter. It’s also easy to feel under darkness when we read, day after day, of war and suffering. Yet there are also moments when we are renewed and recharged -- news of workers standing together and demanding their rights, people pushing for healthcare for all, groups calling for more sustainable agriculture. We bring you news of all this, 365 days a year.

You can help us renew our commitment to bring you the news you count on every day.

Spring has always felt to me a time when anything is possible. We can’t do anything, though, without you. We need your help to complete our Spring Fundraising Campaign. With batteries recharged for another season ahead, we’re anxious to get back to the work at hand.

With thanks for your readership and support,

Andrea Germanos, Assistant Editor
Common Dreams

PS. We only need $8000 more to make our campaign goal. Can you give today?

Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives

Click above to donate now! Or mail in your check payable to Common Dreams with this form. P.O. Box 443 Portland, ME 04112 United States Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our EIN is 20-3368194.) Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 2011 www.commondreams.org You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to manage your subscription.

The Ground Is Moving

“It is a stunning and hopeful truth. The world we must now create if there is to be a human future is also the world of our common dream.”
-David Korten, April 2011

Dear Farhad,

The ground is moving.  If you put your feet down, you will feel it.  If you place your ear to the ground, you will hear it.  

At Common Dreams we track and assess these vibrations every single day of the year.  Watching, analyzing and delivering the news to you is our mission, of course, but it is also the contribution we make to the greater progressive community that we cherish and revere.

Today, amid the familiar greed and regressive policies of the corporate and political class, we also feel something less familiar: the stirring of a revolutionary spirit that not long ago seemed impossible. It is these stirrings that make profound demands upon us all.  

Common Dreams is ready for the fight that history has set before us.  To meet this incredible challenge, we are forced to ask more of ourselves, and in turn, we also ask more of our supporters. Can you help us in this fight?  Will you help us meet and exceed our goals?

To contribute to our work, you can make a secure, tax-deductible online donation with your credit card, or with Paypal. Alternatively, you can print our donation form and mail it to us with a check. No gift is too large or too small.

David Korten is right.  Our dreams will be the solutions the future will demand.  But for today, we understand that working for those dreams is our duty, that our commitment is our strength, and hope that someday soon, when the future bends its ear to a distant tremor, it will be our marching feet and righteous roars that come rumbling back.

Common Dreams will continue to fight, and with your help and commitment we will all celebrate a better future together.

In solidarity and with sincere gratitude,

Jon Queally
Assistant Editor
Common Dreams

Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives

Click above to donate now! Or mail in your check payable to Common Dreams with this form. P.O. Box 443 Portland, ME 04112 United States Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our EIN is 20-3368194.) Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 2011 www.commondreams.org You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to manage your subscription.

Keep that light on!

Dear Farhad,

Even when many of us are rushing to meet the deadline to get taxes in on time, the Common Dreams community of activists, writers, readers and supporters have been stepping up to sustain our work.

Can you join them and contribute today?

You struggle all year to pay your taxes, we all do. We contribute our fair share to sustain the common good. We know this is the way to educate our future citizens, to provide for those that cannot, and to maintain the public infrastructure that we all use and rely on everyday.

You don’t take the free ride that some wealthy, and it seems almost all corporations, are on. And you want to see them contribute what they owe. Common Dreams has been bringing you information on the growing movement to make that happen.

And we will keep reporting on that story.

We know that by supporting the common good, we create a better future.

Just as you know that contributing to Common Dreams will keep us publishing the stories and analyses that bring the truth to light.  And you know we need that light to keep shining on the stories that the corporate media just won’t cover.

We need that truth so we can all act for our common good.

Without corporate advertising and sponsorship we are free to report the whole story. To expose the truth.

With your help, we are close to reaching our Spring Campaign budget of $50,000 to continue bringing you the honest coverage of the day’s news and events, and the thoughtful analysis that you have come to expect.

Can you help us get that last $17,000 to reach our goal? We hope to reach it this week and focus back on the hard work ahead.

Please give today as generously as you can.

Keep that light on!

From Craig, Andrea, Jon, Malory, Abby and the whole Common Dreams team

P.S. Do you follow us on Twitter yet? It’s a fast and easy way to keep up with the news. Check it out!

Home | About Us | Donate | Signup | Archives

Click above to donate now! Or mail in your check payable to Common Dreams with this form. P.O. Box 443 Portland, ME 04112 United States Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our EIN is 20-3368194.) Follow us on Twitter Find us on Facebook Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 2011 www.commondreams.org You are subscribed to Common Dreams as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to manage your subscription.