5) RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE, MAKE THE RICH PAY!
Tell Senators: Working Families Need a Raise--Not Multi-millionaires!

Last week, the House passed a bill (H.R. 5970) that would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour but only on the condition that the wage hike be considered with a cut to the estate tax -- a tax paid by the wealthiest Americans. This political move -- spearheaded by the Republican Leadership -- represents a mean-spirited attempt to  give billions of dollars in tax breaks to millionaires on the backs of the working poor.

The estate tax repeal will ultimately cost $1 trillion in lost revenue forcing deep cuts in health, education, and employment programs that benefit working families. Furthermore, this is not a real minimum wage increase for many workers and would freeze or lower wages for millions of tipped workers and prevent states for the first time from enacting stronger minimum wage protections for those workers. This bill is heading for a vote in the Senate, and we need your help to defeat it.

Call the ACORN Legislative Hotline (1-866-888-9292) now and tell your Senators:

• Vote NO on the motion to proceed on H.R. 5970 - the minimum wage/estate tax repeal bill.
• Protect the future of our nation and communities by stopping this $1 trillion giveaway to those who need it least.
• Give hard-working American families what they deserve - a real minimum wage increase that is not held hostage by the estate tax giveaway!

More info and how to take action: www.acorn.org


6) REMEMBERING THE DAY THE STRIKE DIED
"This week will mark the 25th anniversary of a turning point in American economic history. On Aug. 3, 1981, some 12,000 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization walked off their jobs directing the nation's air traffic for the Federal Aviation Administration. Defying laws that prohibited federal workers from striking, PATCO members tried to force the government to negotiate over demands for shorter work week and higher pay. President Ronald Reagan responded with an ultimatum: If the controllers did not return to work within 48 hours, Reagan promised to fire them. When more than 11,000 strikers decided to test Reagan's resolve, they lost their jobs and their union.

With the PATCO episode, American labor relations entered a new era. In the years after 1981, a number of prominent private sector employers followed Reagan's lead and permanently replaced their own strikers. The stiffened resistance to collective bargaining that became evident in the 1980s accelerated organized labor's decline."
by Joseph A. McCartin
Click here to read the full article: www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0608010471aug01,0,5187455.story?coll=chi-newsopinioncommentary-hed


7) LEBANON, PALESTINE & ISRAEL: DEMAND A CEASE-FIRE!
The following action alert is from United for Peace and Justice (of which YDS is a member).  Like UFPJ, the Democratic Socialists of America are also calling for support of the Kucinich & Jackson-Lee Resolutions for Immediate Cease-Fire & Just Peace. 

Qana Victims Killed by Israel with U.S. Weapons
Demand that Congress Support Cease-fire Resolutions and End Weapons Deliveries to Israel Now!

THIS WEEK: Call Congress and the White House Every Day
NEXT WEEK: Emergency Week of Action, Aug. 7-11

On Sunday Israel bombed a residential apartment building in the Lebanese village of Qana, killing 57 civilians, including 37 children (see below for details).

When U.S. soldiers killed civilians in Fallujah and other densely populated areas of Iraq, the Bush Administration claimed the "war on terror" justified such actions. But nothing justifies bombing innocent civilians, no matter who does it or in what country.

It is likely that U.S. weapons provided to Israel with U.S.-taxpayer dollars killed the villagers of Qana. According to The Washington Post, a bomb fragment found at the Qana bombing site read "For use on MK-84, Guided Bomb BSU-37/B." MK-84s are free-fall unguided bombs; Boeing-produced Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) are attached to MK-84s to convert them into GPS-guided "smart" bombs. Between 2002-2004, the Pentagon notified Congress of impending sales of 6,000 JDAMs and 2,590 MK-84s to Israel through its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program -- valued at $346 million.

There is no military solution to the current conflict. The Iraq war hasn't brought peace or security to the people of Iraq or the U.S. Bombing civilian populations has not and will not bring greater peace or security to the people of Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel.

The only way out of the carnage is an immediate and unconditional cease-fire, followed by multiparty negotiations to resolve the underlying political disputes based on human rights and international law. Most of the world agrees, but the governments of the U.S., Britain, and Israel have so far rejected calls for an immediate cease-fire.

Check out the UFPJ website for more info, to learn what you can do and for additional talking points: www.unitedforpeace.org


8) LEFT DEBATE: THE EUSTON MANIFESTO
The Euston Manifesto: for a new democratic progressive alliance
The Euston Manifesto is a declaration of principles by the democratic left in support of universal human rights and against what its proponents view as some unacceptable positions within parts of the progressive movement, especially regarding foreign policy. It began as a conversation between friends, a group of academics, journalists, and activists.  Since its publication, the Manifesto has generated considerable debate within Left circles. 

We encourage you to read the statement and evaluate the arguments it puts forth: http://eustonmanifesto.org