“Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan, who became a leading antiwar voice after her son Casey was killed in Iraq, released a strong statement endorsing Bill Scheurer for Congress in the hotly contested IL-8th Congressional District. (Full statement appears below.)

“This is really great,” says campaign volunteer Jean Paskilades. “Many of us first met Bill at some of the peace vigils for Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey last year.”

Scheurer, whose own son also served in Iraq, is the pro-peace, pro-labor, independent Moderate Party candidate running against Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean and Republican challenger David McSweeney. Both these candidates have supported the Iraq war from the start and expressly reject any timetable or other conditions for its end.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which carried out a nine-month operation to try to keep Scheurer off the ballot, is worried by Scheurer’s campaign. Last week, they filed an expenditure report with the Federal Elections Commission for a mail piece opposing him, rather than Republican McSweeney as is their usual practice.

Also, a new poll shows Scheurer’s percentage of support has doubled with voters in less than a week. Scheurer claims he is doing even much better than these polls suggest.

“We keep telling people these are not real polls,” says Scheurer. “They are more like focus group surveys. They do not ask the ballot question.”

Members of Scheurer’s own campaign committee have received calls from pollsters that do not even ask about his candidacy. This omission will likely come to an end soon.

The campaign is set to release its first voter outreach calling program this week. “We have done no advertising,” says Scheurer. “Unless you count our dozens of ‘Honk for Peace’ roadside flash parties and hundreds of ‘Vote for Peace’ yard signs.”

Cindy Sheehan: Make One Democrat Pay!

Having failed to stand up in opposition to the Iraq war in the first place, and failing to offer a strong peace platform now, the Democratic Party nevertheless is about to reap big gains from the blood of my son Casey and others like him.

We have an opportunity to make at least one pro-war Democrat pay the price for selling out on the war. We must send a message to pro-war politicians of both parties.

Our friend Bill Scheurer, editor of The PeaceMajority Report, co-founder of VotersForPeace, and longtime member of Military Families Speak Out, is running an explosive grassroots campaign in the IL-8th Congressional District against first-term incumbent Melissa Bean, a pro-war Bush Democrat.

People throughout this suburban, mainstream America district are blasting their horns, and flashing thumbs up and peace signs at Scheurer campaign “Honk for Peace!” roadside flash parties. The local news has given great coverage, and “Vote for Peace” Scheurer yard signs are popping up everywhere like dandelions in spring.

Because of Bean’s clear support for big money and the wealthy, Scheurer also has strong support from organized labor, which compliments Bill’s support of peace.

I urge all citizens is all districts to vote for peace candidates, no matter what party they are, but in Bill Scheurer, there is a clear choice for peace.

We in the nationwide peace community can help. Vote for Peace!

Please visit the www.BringOurTroopsHome.com campaign website. Send money. Make calls. Send emails. Help spread the word. Get ready for 2008.

source: http://brickburner.blogs.com/my_weblog/2006/10/cindy_sheehan_m.html

Oops! She did it again!

Incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean voted to give the Bush administration warrantless electronic surveillance powers and secret military tribunals.

All in the past two days! Can we really take two more years of this?

Congratulations, my fellow Americans! You are now subject to secret search, secret arrest, secret imprisonment, secret trial, and secret execution.

Why does she do this? Because George Bush beat John Kerry by a 56% to 44% margin here in the IL-8th Congressional District in the 2004 election.

She thinks we want this! She does not understand that we who live in the IL-8th District are a fiercely independent, freedom loving people who deeply distrust government.

She does not understand that John Kerry lost because he was pro-choice in a strongly pro-life district. He lost because people here saw him as an ambitious politician lacking firm convictions (like her), something we deeply disrespect and reject out of hand.

No one here wants these tyrannical laws. Not our Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, or Independents. This is not who we are.

Someone should tell her this. I trust that many of you will — on November 7, Election Day.

ILLINOIS 08 (D/SCHAUMBURG — Bean)Bean Jumping Out Of Forum
Rep. Melissa Bean (D) won’t participate in a public candidate forum scheduled for 10/1 hosted by the Lake Co. League of Women Voters. Bean spokesperson Brian Herman: “She has had four debates. People have had ample opportunity to hear the candidates’ views on the issues.” Bean last debated investment banker David McSweeney (R) and atty/peace activist Bill Scheurer (I) 9/5, and no more public debates have been scheduled. League spokesperson Mary Matthews says the League is “very disappointed that [Bean] will not be available to answer questions” at this time when voters’ interest “is a little more peaked.” Scheurer: “It’s clear to me she doesn’t want exposure of where she stands” (Waukegon News-Sun, 9/27).

Barrington Township: David McSweeney, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, is calling on incumbent Melissa Bean to take a stance on the tax cuts. Congresswoman Bean has refused to take a position on whether or not the tax cuts should be made permanent. Congressman Charles Rangel of New York, the ranking Democrat on the tax writing Ways and Means Committee, voiced his opposition to the tax cuts and would not rule out tax increases.

“Charlie Rangel of New York is in line to become the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee should the Democrats get control of Congress. He is a supporter of Melissa Bean and a supporter of tax increases and has recently proclaimed his desire to not renew the tax cuts. Not renewing the tax cuts would result in the largest tax increase in history,” said McSweeney.

“Melissa Bean has never said that she would support making the tax cuts permanent and now, in light of Congressman Rangel’s public position, she should let the voters know where she stands on this important issue. In the past Melissa Bean has tried to have it both ways by voting against bringing these issues to the floor for a vote. If the Democrats have the majority, only Democrat defections would enable a vote in favor of making the tax cuts permanent or even extending them,” said McSweeney.

“Melissa Bean and her handlers have tried to portray her candidacy as a ‘middle of the road’ position. The mainstream position on this issue is to oppose tax increases and support the tax cuts permanently. This is Melissa Bean’s opportunity to actually demonstrate to the voters that she is not just another liberal Democrat on every issue. If she has the business experience that her mailers claim then she should know that businesses, particularly small businesses, cannot plan around an uncertain tax environment,” said McSweeney.

“I will work hard to make the tax cuts permanent and the people of the 8th District deserve to know where the candidates stand on this issue,” said McSweeney.

“They are the most restrictive in the nation and have effectively eliminated independent legislative candidacies from the Illinois political scene for a quarter of a century,” a three-judge panel of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said in its 17-page decision.

Simpson said the lack of support from the local Republican legend doesn’t bother her.

“Would I love to have her endorsement? Absolutely,” she said. “But this is a race I am running. You can’t count on one individual to bring it home for you.”

“Unfortunately, there’s been a lot of sleazy literature about me,” Geo-Karis said.

Geo-Karis isn’t supporting Bond in the race, either, but she said she likes him.

“I happen to think he’s a fine young man,” Geo-Karis said.

“The fact that she cannot endorse the Republican candidate in that race says volumes,” Couvall said.

In its continuing bait-and-switch game as a shill for the Democratic Party, MoveOn.Org is shamelessly working its vast mailing list for “Operation Democracy” which they falsely advertise as “A Grassroots Campaign to Fight the Right and Elect Progressives.”

Exactly who are these “progressives” they want to elect? It appears that these may be any Democratic candidate “in 30 highly competitive House districts.” We do not know whose these are for sure, because the MoveOn.Org hierarchy is so secretive.

Will these “progressive” candidates include the IL-8th District Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean, who in fact is running in a “highly competitive” race?

Issues on the MoveOn.Org agenda for motivating progressive voters include opposition to the war in Iraq and Bush’s “reverse Robin Hood” budget.

Bean is one of several Democrats who have voted with the rubberstamp Congress for these, and a long list of other, Bush policies (CAFTA, the Patriot Act, the Bankruptcy Bill, Estate Tax Repeal, Tax Cuts for the Wealthy, the Sensenbrenner Bill, the Flag-Burning Amendment, Terry Schiavo).

I am the only true progressive in the IL-8th District race. A staunch opponent of the Iraq war, I. am also a strong supporter of working families, and have received financial support from some of the biggest and most politically active unions in the land (SEIU, Teamsters, IAMAW, Steelworkers, UNITE).

Yet, it is not hard to imagine MoveOn.Org deploying its masses to try and get out the vote for Bean. Their emails in support of this project are going out to people who live in the IL-8th District, asking for team leaders and hosts. So, what else can we infer?

In 2004, MoveOn.Org called a similar campaign “Leave No Voter Behind.” Perhaps they should rename this one “Leave No Democrat Behind” no matter how bad.

(Bill Scheurer is the Moderate Party (independent) candidate for U.S. Congress in the Illinois 8th District. He is the father of four, including a daughter who served in Kuwait and a son who recently returned from a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. He is a member of Military Families Speak Out and publisher of The PeaceMajority Report.)

As the voters of Illinois’ 8th Congressional District decide whether to retain or oust freshman Democrat Melissa Bean, I encourage them to thoughtfully examine our Republican government’s record of leadership.

In setting America’s energy policy, Republicans sought the advice of energy industry giants, including Enron’s late CEO, convicted felon Ken Lay.

Republicans treated warnings of global warming the way the tobacco industry treated the Surgeon General’s 1964 report on smoking and public health. They resisted efforts to provide incentives for conservation and alternative fuels, opting instead to provide a tax breaks for oil exploration and 3-ton SUVs. Now $3-plus gasoline strains family budgets and weakens our economy.

To stabilize the Middle East, Republicans chose to ignore the threats posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the ongoing tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians. They elected, instead, to topple a government with no connections to 9/11: Iraq’s weaponless regime. Their disdain of diplomacy has left the United States carrying most of the war’s costs, isolated and less able to influence world events.

They argue no one could have predicted Iraq’s violent insurgency, when in fact many did, including the last American president to invade Iraq, George H. W. Bush.

Under the leadership of Tom DeLay, Republicans put government policy up for sale to the highest bidder. The wealthiest Americans have seen their incomes rise, but median household income has declined, and the numbers of Americans living in poverty or without health insurance have increased.

Are your schools better than they were six years ago? Have Republicans anticipated and addressed threats to our safety and prosperity well enough in the last six years to earn the job for the next two?

My conclusion is a resounding no! Vote for change; re-elect Melissa Bean.

Hugh Graham
Wadsworth

On the fifth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, we recall the fire and horror at the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. America will always remember the thousands of innocent lives taken by the enemies of freedom that morning.

In the face of these unspeakable attacks, we were reminded that the great strength of America is found in the hearts and souls of our citizens. We witnessed firefighters, police officers, other public safety officials, and ordinary Americans demonstrate extraordinary courage, risking their lives to save innocent victims. We saw our country united in compassion as Americans came together to provide relief and bring hope to others.

Today, America is fighting a war that is testing our Nation’s resolve. We are once again answering history’s call with confidence, and we know that freedom will prevail. Our brave men and women in uniform have stepped forward to fight our enemies abroad so that we do not have to face them here at home, and we are grateful for the courageous individuals bringing terrorists to justice around the world.

We are also confronting the extremists in the great ideological struggle of the 21st century. September the 11th made clear that, in the long run, the only way to secure our Nation is to advance liberty and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism. By working together with our friends and allies, we are helping spread the blessings of freedom and laying the foundations of peace for generations to come.

The events of September 11, 2001, will always be a defining moment in our history. We hold the victims and their families in our hearts, and we lift them up in our prayers.

By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2006, as Patriot Day. I call upon the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half staff on Patriot Day. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and remembrance services, to display the flag at half staff from their homes on that day, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. eastern daylight time to honor the innocent Americans and people from around the world who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Interest in campaigns peaks in October, and we suggest two or three high-profile debates on successive weeks.

What is Bean she afraid of? She should be reasonable and be responsive to the voters. She should stand before them with her challengers and talk about the issues.

She might not want to dignify McSweeney and Scheurer with her presence. But she dismisses voters with that kind of arrogance.

Barrington Township: David McSweeney, candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District challenged incumbent Congresswoman Melissa Bean to debate the issues rather than rely on slick mail pieces and television ads that distort the record. Congresswoman Bean recently sent out a mailing containing factual inaccuracies and distortions of David McSweeney’s stance on the issues.

“The first salvo was fired from Melissa Bean’s campaign war chest. Citizens in the 8th District were feted by the first round of distortions and outright lies about my stance on the issues. We knew it was coming when Congresswoman Bean stopped agreeing to joint appearances and debates. She has been storing her ‘jelly beans’ so that she can load them up and fling them at her opponents,” said McSweeney.

“I have called for 24 debates throughout the district because I thought Melissa Bean would want to remain consistent at least on the issue of debates. She criticized her 2004 opponent, Phil Crane, for not agreeing to debates and now that she has climbed the ladder she is pulling it up and denying the voters their opportunity to hear the candidates for themselves rather than having media consultants and direct mail be their source of information,” said McSweeney.

“I am appalled at the way Melissa Bean is using a very emotional issue like Stem Cell research to not only distort my position but to offer unscientific and potentially false hope to victims of a variety of diseases. In a very frenetic mail piece, Melissa Bean has succeeded in distorting my positions on the issues and in some instances making clearly false representations,” said McSweeney.

“There are two months to go in this campaign and Melissa Bean has given us all a taste of what is yet to come. If Melissa Bean has the courage of her convictions then she should not be afraid to debate the issues and let the public decide for themselves. We have had only four debates with two months left and Melissa Bean has not agreed to any more. I am prepared to discuss my stance on the issues and the people of the 8th District want to know where their Congressperson stands as well,” said McSweeney.

David McSweeney resides in Barrington Township within the 8th Congressional District with his wife Margaret and their two daughters.

September 8, 2006

Melissa, and Dave,

Thank you both for participating in the four debates held over the past two weeks. You both do an outstanding job presenting your views.

In these challenging times, choosing the right leaders can be difficult for voters. The more information we offer them, the better equipped they will be to vote for the government that truly represents them.

In that spirit, we should continue this process, bringing this debate to every major township in the district, in venues open to the general public.

This would give us a great opportunity to go into more depth. Instead of exploring the same broad range of questions in every debate, we could have a series of debates with each focusing on a separate issue area — such as foreign affairs, energy and environment, taxes and spending, healthcare, and others.

Perhaps one of the news chains with hometown papers throughout the district would seize this opportunity to reach more people and promote the education of their readership by choosing to sponsor these debates.

Finally, I remind you that we already have been offered other venues, such as CLTV, ABC-TV, WTTW Channel 11, and the League of Women Voters of Lake County. The League of Women Voters has great credibility among voters, who trust its impartiality and nonpartisan support for voter education.

While some of these venues will proceed with two of the three of us, I believe it is in the public interest to have all candidates’ views presented.

When we have faith in the voters to choose wisely, then open debate can only serve our mutual cause — a free democratic republic, where informed citizens have the final voice on who will serve them best.

Please join me in this call for full debates. Our 8th District voters deserve this.

Sincerely yours,

Bill Scheurer

Get ready VeggieTales fans — have we got a TV show for you! After 13 years, VeggieTales will make its debut in living rooms all across America thanks to the wonderful world of broadcast television. Beginning September 9, Big Idea will introduce their host of animated veggies to the viewers of NBC, i Network and to the Spanish-speaking audience of the Telemundo Network.

The Saturday morning block will begin on September 9 on NBC, beginning at 10:00 a.m. EST followed by a 3-2-1 Penguins! or LarryBoy Adventures show at 11:00 a.m. Telemundo will carry the same blocks in Spanish beginning on September 9 at 8:00 a.m., while the i Network will air the blocks beginning on Friday, September 15 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Big Idea has an amazing opportunity to bring “Sunday Morning Values, Saturday Morning Fun” to television and reach a huge audience which may have never heard of Bob, Larry, Silly-Songs or The Pirates who Don’t do Anything. Along with the ever-adorable VeggieTales crew, 3-2-1 Penguins! and the LarryBoy Adventures 2-D series will also be featured in the Saturday morning and Friday afternoon time-block.

Join Big Idea and Veggie-fans everywhere as we tune in to celebrate this momentous occasion.

To read more about VeggieTales coming to TV, visit bigidea.com.

Gladwell’s solution:

[I]f you pooled the obligations of every employer in the country, no company would go bankrupt just because it happened to employ older people, or it happened to have been around for a while, or it happened to have made the transformation from open-hearth furnaces and ingot-making to basic oxygen furnaces and continuous casting. This is what Walter Reuther and the other union heads understood more than fifty years ago: that in the free-market system it makes little sense for the burdens of insurance to be borne by one company. If the risks of providing for health care and old-age pensions are shared by all of us, then companies can succeed or fail based on what they do and not on the number of their retirees.

People believe that Ned Lamont defeated Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary because Lieberman was for the war and Lamont was against it.

Here in the IL-8th Congressional District we have another Bush Democrat who has supported the war every step of the way, Melissa Bean.

(She also voted with Bush on CAFTA, the Patriot Act, the Bankruptcy Bill, Estate Tax Repeal, Tax Cuts for the Wealthy, the Sensenbrenner Bill, the Flag-Burning Amendment, Terry Schiavo, the “Enron/Halliburton” Energy Bill, and others, but that’s another story.)

Faced with an unacceptable “choice” between Bean and the equally pro-war Republican candidate David McSweeney, I chose to run as an independent candidate for Congress, under the new Moderate Party banner.

I am an unwavering supporter of peace, with a strong working families platform, major union support, and an energized grassroots base.

My campaign gathered 15,000 signatures to get on the ballot, something that has never been done before in Illinois history. We also warded off a challenge to our petition by filing a federal lawsuit against the DCCC and Illinois Democratic Party.

Now is the time for activists around the country to bring the same energy and support that helped Lamont beat Lieberman, to help my campaign “Lamont” pro-war Bush Democrat Bean. To turn the 2006 elections into a referendum on the war, we must face the fact that many Democrats are as bad (or worse) than Republicans on this issue.

Failure to act on this — in races where we have a real choice — is choosing to continue the war. We must not put partisan politics above the lives of our soldiers and the innocent civilians in Iraq who pay the price for this war. That would be unconscionable.

Visit the Scheurer website (www.WinWithBill.com) to support this campaign.

(Bill Scheurer is the Moderate Party (independent) candidate for U.S. Congress in the Illinois 8th District. He is the father of four, including a daughter who served in Kuwait and a son who recently returned from a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. He is a member of Military Families Speak Out and publisher of The PeaceMajority Report.)