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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: activists

activists stories: 19 news summaries

Nate Silver

 Why the Public 
 Option's Still Alive 

Polls, time, and activism keep popular concept on the table

(Newser) - Reports of the public option’s demise look to have been exaggerated. Nate Silver breaks down what revived it at FiveThirtyEight.com:
  •  “The tireless, and occasionally tiresome,” advocacy from liberal bloggers and interest groups.
  • The CBO thinks it will save money.
  • The shift of
... More »

Anti-War Movement Switches Focus to Afghanistan

Dwindled movement seeks revival as war enters 9th year

(Newser) - The anti-war movement isn't the force it was in the '60s or even six years ago, but organizers are hoping a campaign of protests this fall will gain momentum and capitalize on the growing unpopularity of the Afghanistan war. The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, an umbrella organization for dozens... More »

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protests Cindy Sheehan anti war movement protesters activists Afghanistan war peace movement

OPINION

ACORN Takedown Campaign Overblown, Misguided

The actions of a half-dozen employees doesn't represent the huge organization

(Newser) - The conservative campaign against ACORN—which has now, thanks to a few video “sting” operations, lost its federal funding—is built on an outrageous set of exaggerations and falsehoods, writes Joe Conason for Salon. “No doubt it was fun to dupe a few morons into providing tax advice... More »

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prostitution voter fraud DC Madam video David Vitter hidden camera activists Acorn Ken Calvert

OPINION
(Newser) - It wasn't exactly back in the Crusades that opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was the left’s most passionate cause, uniting activists and voters alike. Then George W. Bush left office. Now, even though there are still around 130,000 troops in Iraq and 68,000 and counting... More »

(Newser) - Now that he’s in office, President Obama is having a lot of trouble mobilizing the grassroots network that helped put him there, the Los Angeles Times reports. With Republican health care opponents operating like a well-oiled, talk-show-fueled machine, Organizing for America (aka Obama for America) is stuttering—in... More »

OPINION

Malkin: Left
Tries to Stamp Out Civil Dissent

Foes of health care reform aren't out of control—liberals are

(Newser) - The same “Democrat Masters of Astroturf” who delight in liberal activism are crying foul about the perfectly valid rabble-rousing of Tea Party activists, writes Michelle Malkin on her blog. Conservative activists have been told to pack Democratic events and heckle them, something one liberal blogger describes as “civic... More »

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Michelle Malkin health care reform conservative base activists conservatives

(Newser) - Gay-marriage proponents in California are taking a page—and some staff—from the Obama campaign in an attempt to swing conservative votes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many believe Proposition 8 passed because there was little outreach to districts that voted for the ban. “They would fly over from... More »

Dem Groups 
Loyal to Obama 
Despite Snubs 

Prez won't kiss up
to activists, but pushes
liberal agenda

(Newser) - President Obama is publicly ignoring and even criticizing the liberal interest groups feverishly courted by past presidents. He has chastised the teachers’ union, skipped the State of the Black Union (again), and eschewed fanfare when restoring funding to groups that promote abortion. But activists remain loyal anyway, Politico reports, because... More »

 Israeli Navy 
 Rebuffs 
 Gaza-Bound 
 Relief Boat 

Congresswoman aboard says collision was deliberate

(Newser) - An Israeli warship collided with a boat of activists defying a blockade to deliver medical supplies to war-torn Gaza today, the Journal-Constitution reports. Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who was aboard, says the "peaceful mission was thwarted by Israel's aggressiveness." An Israeli spokesman denied that the ramming was... More »

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medicine Congress Israel Gaza Gaza blockade activists Israeli Navy Cynthia McKinney

 Iowa High Court 
 Takes Up Gay 
 Marriage Ban 

Capital expects large crowds for landmark decision

(Newser) - Iowa's Supreme Court begins hearing a same-sex marriage case this week that could give gay activists their first heartland victory, reports the Des Moines Register. The state capital was abuzz with preparations for watch parties, town hall meetings, and court overflow rooms to accommodate the large crowds expected for this... More »

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gay rights gay marriage Midwest marriage rights activists conservatives Iowa Supreme Court

Bill Ayers Will Appear on ABC Tomorrow

Campaign bogeyman will discuss path to
'60s radicalism

(Newser) - After keeping a low profile through the presidential election in which he became a talking point, Chicago activist Bill Ayers will appear on Good Morning America tomorrow, ABC News reports. In the exclusive TV interview, Ayers will discuss his transformation into a 1960s radical and his memoir, Fugitive Days. More »

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presidential campaign GOP hippies activists interview Bill Ayers

(Newser) - A 19-year-old girl in Asheville, NC, has legally changed her name to CutoutDissection.com (call her Cutout for short) to protest animal dissection in the classroom, the Citizen-Times reports. The former Jennifer Thornburg’s name is the address for PETA's web site on the practice. Cutout is now a PETA ... More »

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animal rights PETA animal activists dissection

Amnesty: China Broke Promises of Free Speech

Olympic committee
has hushed dissent despite 2001 vow

(Newser) - Ten days ahead of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, Amnesty International charged that China hasn’t welched on promises of freedom for activists and journalists it made when it was awarded the Games. “The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the Games,” said a rep who called... More »

 Pistil-Packin'
 Guerrilla Gardeners
 Strike LA 

Green activists stealthily plant food and flowers on unused urban acreage

(Newser) - "Guerrilla gardeners" armed with plants are stealthily greening neglected and forgotten patches of land in Los Angeles and other cities across the nation. The furtive horticulturalists have nighttime planting parties or "seed bombings" and turn corners of the city into flower or food gardens, reports the Los Angeles ... More »

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Los Angeles gardening cities public land activists

 Burma's Monks Forge 
 Secret Relief Network 

Monks lead aid effort pushed by government reluctance

(Newser) - Although Burma’s junta relented today and allowed in foreign aid workers, weeks of delays and restrictions have led to the formation of an underground network of volunteers led by monks, Internet activists, and pro-democracy students. The Wall Street Journal looks at their efforts, which risk the wrath of the... More »

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Myanmar Burma monks activists monastery emergency aid

 NYT Columnist Pied at Brown 

Activists take issue with Friedman's corporate environmental solutions

(Newser) - Two environmental activists threw cream pies at New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman at an Earth Day speech Tuesday at Brown University, the AP reports. Friedman’s speech was about the corporate world's ability to help the environment with schemes such as cap-and-trade for carbon emissions. One of the pie-chuckers,... More »

Hillary Slams MoveOn

She says its activist members 'intimidate' her supporters
 

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton told a closed-door fundraiser that the Democratic "activist base" was to blame for her Super Tuesday losses, the Huffington Post reports. She singled out MoveOn.org for damage to her campaign. "They know I don't agree with them," Clinton said. "So they flood into... More »

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Hillary Clinton Democratic caucus MoveOn.org Democratic Party activists

Tibet Protests Could Snuff Olympic Torch's UK Visit

April 6 stop in London will test police readiness, set tone for rest of tour

(Newser) - The Olympic torch will pass through London on April 6, meeting major protests over China's human-rights abuses in Tibet and other causes. The visit will test how disruptive political forces could be on the Summer Games—and how well British security forces are preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, the... More »

China Admits Police Shot Tibetan Protesters

State's claim of 13 dead, 4 wounded at odds with exiles' estimate of 99 killed

(Newser) - China admitted today its police opened fire on Tibetan protesters, wounding four in “self-defense,” the BBC reports. The statement from state-run Xinhua news agency is China’s first admission to hurting anyone since protests began last week. Chinese officials say rioters have killed 13; Tibetan activists reported security... More »

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China protests Tibet Dalai Lama riots shooting Xinhua security forces Tibetans political demonstrations activists

19 Stories