1) YDS CONFERENCE: BUILDING THE NEXT LEFT
                            2) IRAQ & THE FUTURE OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT
                            3) LONGEVITY CRISIS? KILL GRANDMA!
                            4) PAUL R. LOEB ON HOPE & GOP JUSTICE
                            5) THE DOWNING ST. MEMO: BUSH IS A LIAR!
                            6) REAUTHORIZE THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

1) YDS CONFERENCE: BUILDING THE NEXT LEFT
Start planning your trip to our conference at the castle the weekend of August 12-14!

Go to the YDS website for flyers, registration, travel tips, and more information: www.ydsusa.org (if you have trouble registering, please let us know... the outdated registration link will be fixed shortly)

You won't want to miss the annual YDS national conference and activist retreat!
This year we will be meeting at a small castle surrounded by forest and ponds, conveniently located in Ossining, NY (only 30 minutes north of New York City).

We come together at a time when Bush and the Republicans are on a rampage and greedy corporations are more powerful than ever.  And yet, despite these distressing realities, there are signs of hope: 

• Bush's popularity ratings are at an all-time low.  His administration faces considerable resistance to its domestic privatization schemes and its militaristic foreign-policy. 
• Progressive activists in and outside the Democratic Party are working to fight mostly defensive battles while also crafting a long-term strategy to advance our own agenda of social and economic justice. 
• Internationally, the wave of opposition to capitalist globalization continues to grow as popular social movements and left-wing electoral victories spread, particularly across Latin America. 

The time to build a stronger democratic Left in the United States is now.  Join us from August 12-14 as we work together to prove that a better world is possible.    

Our conference, entitled "Building the Next Left," is a unique opportunity for YDS members and activists to get away from it all, to remember why we do what we do and to learn how to do it better.  There will be workshops and discussions on organizing strategies, the history of the left, contemporary social movements, mapping out political priorities for youth and students organizers, building a stronger progressive presence in mainstream US politics and more.  Come to the castle to meet young and veteran activists from around the country in an affordable retreat setting. There will also be partying, video screenings, and plenty of out-door fun in between workshops and trainings. Most importantly, this is a great way to wrap up the summer, make new (and sometimes life-long) friends, and get ready for a fall of campus and community activism.

Conference housing is provided and limited travel scholarships are available.
Check our website for additional information about the conference schedule, travel tips, workshops, speakers and other logistical concerns. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have at 212-727-8610 ext. 24 or at yds@dsausa.org.

Please plan ahead, help us spread the word to activists in your area, and see about bringing other committed organizers to our conference at the castle!


2) IRAQ & THE FUTURE OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT
Labor Needs a Radical Vision
by David Bacon (DSA member, reporter and photographer who specializes in labor issues, author of The Children of NAFTA )
http://www.monthlyreview.org/0605bacon.htm

Iraqi Unions Claim Their Voice - by David Bacon
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/12/EDGOHD606T1.DTL&hw=david+bacon&sn=001&sc=1000

U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW) is coordinating an ongoing tour of Iraqi labor leaders throughout the Unites States (June 10-26).  To learn more about USLAW, this tour, the plight of Iraqi trade unionists, and how you can support a democratic and independent labor movement in Iraq, check out the following link: http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/

Debate Over the Future of the AFL-CIO: More Heat Than Light /
Blacks Caught in the Middle of Organized Labor’s ‘Train Wreck’
by Bill Fletcher Jr. (DSA member and president of TransAfrica Forum)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0604-28.htm


3) BARBARA EHRENREICH ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Longevity Crisis? Kill Grandma!
A specter is stalking the Western world, and it looks a lot like Grandma. As President Bush has repeatedly put it, the problem with Social Security is that baby boomers will be living longer.
by Barbara Ehrenreich (author of Nickeled and Dimed and DSA Honorary Chair)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0606-26.htm


4) PAUL ROGAT LOEB ON HOPE & GOP JUSTICE
Extraordinarily Rancid Justice
As the Senate votes in Bush's long-filibustered nominees, the nuclear option compromise is looking more rancid than reasonable. The seven Democrats who helped broker the compromise pledged not to filibuster except in the most extraordinary circumstances.
by Paul Rogat Loeb (DSA member and author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0610-30.htm

Hear a 30min. interview with Paul Rogat Loeb on hope and citizen movements:
The Progressive Radio Show: http://63.247.66.90/~progress/?q=radio_loeb05


5) THE DOWNING ST. MEMO: BUSH IS A LIAR!
Downing Street Memo Offers Proof of Pre-War Intelligence Manipulation
Join the Conyers' Initiative to Demand a Resolution of Inquiry
Take Action TODAY and on June 16th (details below)

By now you've probably heard about the Downing Street memo, the minutes of a meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and top U.S. intelligence officials in July 2002, where -- more than half a year before the Bush administration started it's war on Iraq -- the Bush administration's efforts to manipulate intelligence data in order to justify going to war are laid out. It's concrete proof of what the anti-war movement has known all along: The war on Iraq was based on lies.

Now, in a critically important new development, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. is convening a hearing to gather more testimony about the Downing Street Minutes and the Bush administration's manipulations and lies. On this Thursday, June 16th, Rep. Conyers, the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other members of Congress will use this hearing to address a set of Constitutional questions raised by the information disclosed in the Downing Street Minutes.

Rep. Conyers is prepared to lead the fight to pass a Resolution of Inquiry which would direct the House Judiciary Committee to launch a formal investigation into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House to impeach President Bush. The hearing on Thursday is part of this process, and there are several ways you can join this effort:

1) Take a moment right now to sign on to a citizens petition/letter campaign initiated by Rep. Conyers. It is directed to the White House and demands answers, it demands the truth. Hundreds of thousands of people have already signed the letter, and we want to help expand this effort. The names gathered by this Thursday will be included in the delivery of the petitions to the White House that Rep. Conyers will do after the hearing.

2) Urge your representative to join this effort. Close to 100 members of Congress have already signed on. Now is the time to push the people who represent you to take a stand, to do the right thing!

To get the most up-to-date list of the members of Congress that have signed on to the Conyers letter, and to send an email to your member of Congress, visit http://www.afterdowningstreet.org.

3) On Thursday, June 16th, there will be a demonstration in Washington, DC in support of the hearing and petition delivery by Rep. Conyers. If you live in driving distance of Washington, D.C., try to attend this important gathering. Or consider organizing a solidarity demonstration in your city or town. The details of the Washington protest are still being worked out, so be sure to check the web site for the exact time and place, as well as downloadable flyers for the event. 

You can also find more information there about the hearing and petition campaign, and other news about developments related to this.  

For more information about the Downing Street Memo, including the full text, visit http://www.downingstreetmemo.com


6) URGE CONGRESS TO REAUTHORIZE THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT
The Voting Rights Act (VRA) has been our biggest line of defense against voter discrimination for 40 years. Because of the VRA, millions of people of color have registered to vote.

But unless Congress acts soon, several key provisions will expire that help prevent discrimination against voters of color.

You can help protect 40 years of progress in civil rights by signing this petition today urging Congress to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act.
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/vra_petition?rk=tparDQs1_qgBW



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