Dear Leslie,

You signed up for a service that watches Washington for you and offers opportunities to have your voice heard in the halls of power (that's us – TrueMajority). So far this year, more than 617,000 of you have responded to those opportunities by writing, calling and visiting your representatives to keep them focused on America's true values. Here's a short report on how those campaigns are going.

Tax Breaks for Millionaires. The polls are clear, and the citizens let Congress have it: diverting billions to those who don't need it by raising the deficit and further reducing spending on human needs is bad policy. The House did pass a giveaway to millionaires, but the Senate won't touch it because now they don't have the votes to pass it. So far so good.

America's Torture School. The effort to close America's torture school at Fort Benning (the "School of the Americas") strengthens each year, on a trajectory to prevail. Almost 30 Republicans were among the 188 House members who voted to get out of the business of teaching torture to other countries. We'll be back next year, looking for the last 30 votes needed to pass the bill. A long slog, but it'll be worth it.

Protect the Internet. TrueMajority members' names were among the 1 million petitions delivered to Congress by the Save the Internet Coalition, which has put the brakes on a plan to give telecommunications corporations new control over how fast certain Web pages load or certain e-mails are delivered. We sent you customized messages detailing each of your senators' positions on the issue, so you can easily call them with what you think.

Save Public Broadcasting. PBS and NPR are again under attack by those who would silence public broadcasting's alternative to commercial media. The House Appropriations Committee voted to slash funding for NPR and PBS by $115 million, but TrueMajority members joined tens of thousands of others who objected. The Senate subcommittee in charge of that money just voted to restore funding...we citizens may have turned this one around.

America's Occupation of Iraq. American troops are still dying in Iraq. But thanks to ongoing pressure from citizens like you, Congress is finally starting to discuss our course in that country, and many who originally supported the invasion have come out in opposition to the war. TrueMajority launched an online innovation to let you know what your congressmember said during a heated daylong debate about Iraq. Thousands of you contacted your lawmakers to thank them for standing up or to tell them to get it right. We even heard back from some congressmembers themselves who weren't happy that we exposed their usually hidden pronouncements to public scrutiny. We got a lot of feedback from you on this. Here's one example:



Positive Vision. Many of us these days are defining success as slowing the rate at which things get worse. But we yearn for a positive vision: something we can be for. That's the Common Sense Budget Act, which we introduced in Congress last spring. It will increase federal investment in education, health care, job training, energy independence and world hunger – at no additional taxpayer expense – by eliminating unnecessary Pentagon weapons systems designed to fight the defunct Soviet Union. Invest in building strong communities, not lining the pockets of defense contractor lobbyists – that's the idea. Even President Reagan's assistant secretary of defense says that eliminating those obsolete weapons systems (like nuclear weapons) won't harm our national security.

The unfolding fiscal train wreck in Washington is starting to attract the attention of the media and politicians alike. National news outlets are getting onto our alternative vision now, with recent stories in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and scores of papers across the country. Our on-the-ground operations in Iowa and New Hampshire (where our nation's next president will be selected) have generated more than 500 news stories on the Sensible Priorities campaign.

That's a lot of campaigns, but they are all part of the same big idea: TrueMajority's members think America's true values include openness, fairness and compassion. All our work together is about moving us toward a country that behaves that way more of the time. We think all of us, as citizens, are responsible for the health of our communities, and that participating in an effective government is the best way to fulfill that mutual responsibility.

So, thanks for participating!

If you like the opportunities we're sending out to TrueMajority members, why not forward this mail to your friends, so they can get them too? Better yet, send it to acquaintances you don't know that well – we've met new members and allies in the most unlikely places. And if you really like this service, consider making a DONATION. We don't get any government or corporate funding; contributions from members like you make it possible to send these messages to more Americans.

Thanks for being there and for caring about our future.

Ben, Duane, Matt, Darcy, Chris, Lil' Ben and Sam
The TrueMajority team

COOL LINKY?

sorry, that's an e-mail.
But you can go to truemajority.org