Exactly Three Months After Hurricane Katrina, Uncertainty Challenges New Orleans and South Louisiana Rebuilding Efforts

A diverse collection of New Orleans and South Louisiana leaders and organizations will hold a press conference Tuesday, November 29 at 1 p.m. to launch a grass roots campaign to call for a clear commitment to honest and effective storm protection for Gulf Coast communities and a vibrant and restored Gulf Coast.

The press conference will be at the London Avenue Canal breech at Mirabeau Avenue on the east side of the London Avenue Canal, according to Aaron Viles, Campaign Director of the Gulf Restoration Network.

ImpeachPAC, a political action committee launched earlier this month to support candidates in next year’s congressional election who favor impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, today announced its first endorsement, according to Bob Fertik of Democrats.com.

ImpeachPAC has contributed $2,500 to Democratic congressional candidate Tony Trupiano in his bid to unseat Republican incumbent Thaddeus McCotter in Michigan’s 11th District. Trupiano has already been endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and by the Michigan Teamsters Union Joint Council 43.

Trupiano has had a national radio audience for over a decade as host of the Tony Trupiano Show.

Trupiano held a “Take Back the House” rally last Monday in Michigan as the first event of his campaign. During a Q&A session, he was asked to name the first three pieces of legislation he would introduce if elected to Congress. The first that Trupiano named was a bill to restore value to the federal minimum wage. He never got to the third, because the second issue he named received such a huge response that the conversation took a new turn. That second issue was impeachment.

“The crowd went crazy,” Trupiano said in an interview. “I mean the crowd absolutely went nuts. Some people who are consulting for the campaign said they cringed when I said impeachment, but when they saw how the crowd reacted they breathed easier. You know, we shouldn’t be afraid of impeachment. Impeachment is there for a reason. If the President has not lied to us, if he is innocent of all of these charges, give us a chance to investigate. Impeachment is a non-partisan idea. It is the way to hold the government accountable.”

“We are thrilled to give our first endorsement to Tony Trupiano,” said ImpeachPAC President Bob Fertik. “For ten years, Tony has spoken up for Mainstream America on the airwaves. Now he hopes to speak up for Mainstream America in Congress. Tony knows that Americans believe George Bush should be impeached if he lied about Iraq by a solid margin of 53%-42%. And Tony knows that Bush lied about Iraq before the war, and continues to lie now that the truth is finally coming out. Tony will win by demanding that George Bush and Dick Cheney be held accountable for the lies that cost so many precious lives.”

ImpeachPAC is a Political Action Committee registered with the Federal Election Commission. Its purpose is to raise money to elect Democratic candidates for Congress who support the immediate and simultaneous impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney for their Iraq War lies.

Links
ImpeachPAC
Tony Trupiano for Congress
Tony’s blog on impeachment
The Tony Trupiano Show

There will be a vigil in Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park Wednesday Nov. 30 for the 1,000th execution in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, according to the Rev. Jack Zylman.

“This is a somber milestone in the history of capital punishment, but it comes at a time when the use of the death penalty in this country is sharply declining,” he said. “Death sentences, the size of death row, executions, and public support for the death penalty are all lower than they were five years ago.”

The vigil will start at 5:30 p.m. near the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Kelly Ingram Park at Sixth Avenue and Sixteenth Street North.

“This event presents an opportunity to reflect on the application of the death penalty over the past 30 years,” Zylman said. “The majority of Alabamians have said they support a moratorium on the death penalty. It is time to stop executing our citizens and fellow human beings and look at what we are doing.”

Scheduled to be executed this week are Eric Nance in Arkansas on Monday, Nov 28; John Hicks in Ohio on Tuesday, Nov 29 and Robin Lovitt in Virginia on Wednesday, Nov 30.

Sponsors of the vigil include Amnesty International, USA, Pax Christi, the Alabama Committee to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the Birmingham Alliance Against Racist and Pollitical Repression.