Good News!!! 4/24

[Dob Bole]

There's a lot of whining, infighting, and negativity on DU sometimes. We strive against each other, arguing over religion, etc, when we really hold common beliefs, or we wouldn't be here. So I've decided to post this thread and list a lot of the good things that have been going on in the progressive community in the last two months. Here goes...

1. Homosexual marriage/equal rights:

Majority in New York state support marriage rights for same sex couples. Global Strategy group reports 51% approval, 42% disapproval:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/04/040605nyPoll.htm

Though the House amended the bill to exclude marriage, Connecticut passed its first Civil Unions bill by majority vote. GOP governor Jodi Rell agreed to sign the bill:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/04/20/conn.unions.ap/index.html

Scottish Episcopal church backs gay couples and priests:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/03/23/scotland.anglicans.ap/index.html

Not to mention that same-sex marriage may soon be legalized in California...

2. War in Iraq:

While the new Pope seems to be very conservative on most counts, he is firmly against Bush's invasion in Iraq. Here is a previous statement on Iraq:

"There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a 'just war.'

Bolton (Bush UN nominee) is on the ropes:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/042405B.shtml

3. The environment:

New ally: evangelicals
http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21847/

Energy Bill likely to face filibuster and fail in the Senate:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usmtbe244231786apr24,0,3479291.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines

4. Civil Rights:

Supreme Court eliminates the death penalty for minors:
http://www.deathpenalty.org/

Opposition to "Nuclear Option" to end filibuster broadens:
http://www.civilrights.org/issues/nominations/details.cfm?id=30469

NYC to pay $230,000 in contempt of court charges for arresting and holding RNC protesters. Over 400 arrestees exonerated:
http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/148131/index.php

5. Labor Relations:

John Edwards joins APWU picket line in Iowa:
http://www.apwu.org/news/webart/webart-0514-edwards-050401.htm

Democracy for America erects billboards all over Texas with the following inscription: "Corporations spent millions to send Tom Delay golfing, and all you got was this billboard."

6. Good news abroad:

Mother of 9/11 victim see school for girls in Afghanistan that she funded:
http://www.sacunion.com/pages/nation/articles/4275/

Spain's lower house approves same-sex marriage, despite protest from Pope:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/international/europe/22spain.html

Attempt to derail Canadian gay marriage bill fails:
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail.asp?id=15574

Liberal Democrats in UK benefit from opposition to Iraq war; Blair informed that war could be an illegal breach of International Law:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/042405E.shtml

Bono admonishes Canadian PM to honor commitments to 3rd world:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4478237.stm


This only scratches the surface. Hope to do this regularly...

Dob Bole