IN THIS ISSUE....

	NEXT PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS MEETING PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS HOSTS "LEAVING IRAQ" PANEL CALL DIANNE FEINSTEIN AND DEMAND A FILIBUSTER! PROGRESSIVE EVENTS AROUND CALIFORNIA

	DON'T FORGET OUR NEXT PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS MEETING
	NEXT PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS MEETING January 27th and 28th Manhattan Beach Marriott 1400 Parkview Ave. Manhattan Beach, 90266 310.546.7511 THE PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS WILL MEET AT 9:00PM Friday, January 27th, 2005 Final By-laws of the Progressive Caucus will be ratified at this meeting, so please check them out at www.progressivecaucuscdp.org

DON'T MISS THIS AMAZING EVENT!!!

THE PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS AND US TOUR OF DUTY PRESENT

Leaving Iraq: Strategies for Immediate Withdrawal

WHEN: Saturday, January 28, 2006 at 7:30 PM following the quarterly meeting of the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party

WHERE: Manhattan Beach Marriott Grand Ballroom, 1400 Parkview Avenue, Manhattan Beach, California 90266 (310) 546-7511

WHO: Scheduled to appear on the panel are:

Congresswoman Maxine Waters - founding member of the Congressional Out of Iraq Caucus

Scott Ritter - former chief weapons inspector for the United Nations Special Commission in Iraq

Dr. Stephen Zunes - Professor of Politics and Chair of the Peace and Justice Studies program at the University of San Francisco

Ann Wright - former State Department official, who resigned from her high-ranking post in 2003 in protest of the Iraq war

Dr. Michael Schwartz - Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of the Undergraduate College of Global Studies at Stony Brook University

David Swanson - AfterDowningStreet.org co-founder and Washington director of Democrats.com and ImpeachPAC.org

Harlan Hobgood - Senior, US Foreign Service Officer for 25 years with appointments under Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter and Reagan

Moderated by KTLK Radio talk show host and political commentator Steve Young. Panelists will address prepared questions as well as questions from the audience.

In addition to these speakers, the panel will also feature citizen activist Lisa Lubow, who will talk about effective strategies for citizen action against the war.

This event will be open to the public. For more information please contact Jo Olson at (818) 754-0802 or chocojo@sbcglobal.net.

Suggested donation $10, no person will be turned away for lack of funds

This event is a fund raiser for US Tour of Duty, a non-profit project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs, supports and promotes the anti-war advocacy of Iraq veterans, military families, performers, and policy analysts by organizing public forums, developing media strategies, and producing video content.

PROGRESSIVE EVENTS

TELL DIANNE FEINSTEIN TO SUPPORT A FILIBUSTER!!!!

President Bush's nomination of Third Circuit Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court poses grave threats to numerous progressive values. Unlike Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Alito has an extensive paper trail documenting his right-wing political agenda – which he has actively advanced, not only as a high-ranking official in the Reagan Administration, but also as a judge.

Alito's record is clear: he will likely condone the abuse of power by the president, vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, and help curtail Congress' ability to protect the health, safety and welfare of the American people.

• As a Justice Department lawyer in the Reagan administration Alito said he was "particularly proud" of fighting affirmative action programs and was looking forward to the day the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling is overturned.

• In 1984 Alito promoted a strategy aimed at immunizing Attorney Generals from punishment for authorizing illegal wiretaps of American citizens.

• In Doe v. Groody, Judge Alito wrote in dissent that police officers did not violate the Constitution when they strip-searched a 10 year-old girl – who was not a criminal suspect – while executing a warrant that only authorized the search of the target of their investigation.

• In Bray v. Marriott Hotels, Alito argued in his dissent for a stricter standard for proving employer descrimination that would have created a difficult, if not insurmountable burden of proof.

• In U.S. v. Rybar, Alito argued in a dissenting opinion that the federal ban on the possession of fully automatic, repeating machine guns – a law that has been on the books in some form since 1934 – is unconstitutional.

• In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 47 F.2d 682 (3d Cir. 1991), Judge Alito wrote in dissent that he would have upheld a Pennsylvania law requiring a woman in certain circumstances to notify her husband before obtaining an abortion.

If Alito is allowed to replace Sandra Day O'Connor - the swing vote at
the Court's center - the court's rulings on these and other issues
will move towards the right. Working people will suffer. Minorities and women will suffer. Our environment will suffer. And our civil rights will be further eroded.

There is no question that Alito will sail through the Senate vote if Democrats do not band together to filibuster this nominee. And there
is no question that a filibuster will not happen unless Senators feel they have the public's support.

Tell Feinstein that you expect her to do whatever it takes to stop the Alito nomination.

Tell Sen. Feinstein that Alito's record alone is "egregious," and you're counting on her to do whatever it takes to stop his confirmation.

Senator Feinstein's Office numbers:

Washington, D.C. 202-224-3841
San Francisco       415-393-0707
Los Angeles                310-914-7300
San Diego         619-231-9712
Fresno            559-485-7430

Jo Olson - Southern California Chair (714) 454-9566

Mal Burnstein - Northern California Chair (510) 527-1798