If You Wear A ONE White Band....

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Jamila

Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
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....you need to read this and TAKE ACTION!

Decisions are being made RIGHT NOW about funding levels for FY 2006 budget for Global AIDS programs - most especially for the Global Fund (http://www.theglobalfund.org)


The Global Fund is the MOST EFFECTIVE international agency currently funding the fight against Global AIDS and extreme poverty in the world yet it remains WOEFULLY underfunded by developed nations who have gone back on their pledges of financial support.

The ONE Campaign support the FULL FUNDING of the Global Fund. If you wear a ONE white band, this is exactly the kind of action that you can take to show your support of the Global AIDS struggle.

It's NOT ENOUGH to sign the petition and wear the band - ultimately each ONE of us must become educated activists. This is what Bono tries to tell us each night he's up on stage.

I hope you will join us in this action.
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PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINE FOR YOUR SENATORS TO SIGN THE GLOBAL FUND
LETTER IS FAST APPROACHING!!!

THE LETTER WILL CLOSE NEXT TUESDAY, SO THAT MEANS WE REALLY NEED
CALLS TO ENSURE YOUR SENATORS GET ON BOARD. YOU CAN USE THE INFO
BELOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON THIS -- AND TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND
COLLEAGUES TO CALL TOO!

WE NEED ALL SENATORS, BUT WE ESPECIALLY NEED THE FOLLLOWING:
Alexander, Chafee, Coleman, Collins, DeWine, Hagel, Hatch, Lugar,
Smith, Snowe, Specter, and Sununu .


ACTION ALERT

Call your Senator and urge them to sign-on to bipartisan letter
(below) in support of $3.7 billion for global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis
and malaria programs in FY2006 appropriations, including $800
million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

In Brief: In a bipartisan effort to save lives, Senators Santorum (R-
PA) and Durbin (D-IL) offered an amendment in mid-March to increase
the minimum U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to $800 million
within the Senate budget resolution for 2006. This amendment passed,
but this funding is not guaranteed. We must continue to voice our
support for this and urge our Senators to sign-on to this important
statement to the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations,
Mitch McConnell and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy urging $3.7 billion
for global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in FY2006
appropriations, including $800 million for the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is the largest funder
of AIDS, TB and malaria programs around the world. Combined, these
diseases kill more than 6 million people every year. The Global Fund
has programs in 128 countries worldwide.

The Global Fund needs $800 million from the U.S. just to renew
existing grants in order to keep people on life-saving medications
and keep effective programs running. (The Global Fund needs a total
of $1.5 billion to fund new rounds of projects.)

This action needs to happen urgently! This letter may be our best
tool for funding the Global Fund in 2006. The closing date on this
letter is May 24, so that it can be delivered before the
Congressional Memorial Day recess.

For the phone/fax number of your two Senate offices go to
www.senate.gov or call the United States Capitol switchboard at
(202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly
with the Senate office you request.

What you can say when you call your Senator:

The Key Message (use your own words if possible): Ask to speak to
the aide who handles foreign policy.

"Hi, my name is ____________ and I am a constituent from
_______________."

"I am calling to urge Senator __________ to sign-on to a letter
being circulated by Senators Santorum and Durbin to Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Mitch McConnell and Ranking
Member Patrick Leahy urging $3.7 billion for global HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria programs in FY2006 appropriations,
including $800 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and
Malaria."

"$800 million is the minimum amount needed to keep current effective
Global Fund programs running and to ensure that patients continue to
get life-saving medications and treatment."

"Can I send you a copy of the Dear Colleague and the sign on letter?
To sign-on to the letter you can contact George Bernier with Senator
Santorum at 224-6324 or Ann Hwang with Senator Durbin at 224-8342."
"The closing date on this letter is May 24, so that it can be
delivered before the Congressional Memorial Day recess. When is a
good time to follow up?"

For maximum impact follow up with a letter!!!

Draft a letter using the above talking points and fax it to your
Senator. This is the most powerful way to be heard.
Handwritten, faxed letters are best as they are personal, and will
not be subject to the security delays of regular mail.
For a copy of the Dear Colleague (pdf) and the sign-on letter (pdf)
from Santorum and Durbin please contact Kolleen Bouchane at RESULTS,
(202) 783-7100 x107 or kbouchane@results.org.

LETTER YOUR SENATORS CAN SIGN ON TO:

A separate letter with the same content will be sent to Ranking
Member Leahy, and Chairman Specter and Ranking Member Harkin of the
Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee

May __, 2005

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Chairman

Subcommittee on Foreign Operations

Appropriations Committee

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman McConnell:

We are writing to request that a total of $3.7 billion be provided
for global HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria programs in FY2006
appropriations, including $800 million for the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, TB and Malaria.

The AIDS crisis demands our unwavering commitment. This is the worst
epidemic of our times. Over 40 million people are now living with
HIV/AIDS. This year, five million more people will become infected,
while three million people will die. AIDS has destroyed families and
crippled the economies of several nations, and this crisis has the
potential to destabilize entire societies and regions. Malaria and
tuberculosis are also killers of pandemic proportions, responsible
for three million deaths each year.

U.S. leadership in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
is paying off. Our bilateral programs have made impressive strides
in scaling up prevention, care, and treatment programs. The Global
Fund, now in its third year, is providing $3 billion to fight
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in 130 countries. Earlier this
year, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Joint
Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS
Coordinator, and the Global Fund jointly announced that thanks to
their collective efforts, 700,000 people in the developing world
were being treated for HIV/AIDS at the end of 2004. This number
continues to increase rapidly.

We believe that the United States must continue its leadership in
the global fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We
therefore support fully funding the President's request for bilateral
programs, while increasing the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund
to $800 million. This level of funding will make sure that the
United States matches, on a one-to-two basis, the contributions of
other donors. It will cover the U.S. share of renewals of existing
grants, helping to ensure that the Fund need not cut off life-saving
treatments in proven programs. And this funding for the Global Fund
will allow us to extend our assistance to more than 100 nations not
included as focus countries in the President's Emergency Plan.

We urge you to provide a total of $3.7 billion for global HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria programs in FY2006 appropriations,
including $800 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Thank you for considering our request.




:yes:
 
This action to stop Global AIDS and extreme poverty is too important to go to page two of FYM :up:
 
Since my senator is Santorum and I am under the impression Specter will sign on for this, anything else I can do?
 
You deserve another bump, Jamila. I have contacted both Senator Santorum and Senator Durbin to request a list of senators who have signed on to this and to thank them for their effort. (PS Also made a donation to Global Fund. Your gentle nagging was effective.)
 
I'm just trying to keep all these newly converted ONE white band wearers aware of what the REAL TASK IS - which is to secure as much funding for Global AIDS and antipoverty programs as possible.

Wearing all the white bands in the world won't save ONE life without YOUR DIRECT ACTION to secure the funding for these programs.

Simple truth.

Thanks, BonosSaint, for caring enough to get involved. :wink:
 
Thanks Jamila. I just got on here after several days off the site.
I just sent it.

(9 PM EDT) I hope i'm in time.

There's hope...if they can reach a compromise on filbusters, (or more correctly..if a brave handful of people can buck the mainstram and urge action on the issue...) then something might yet be done in Washington.
 
Teta040, there's always hope.

I would say to contact your Congresspeople tomorrow anyway to let them know how you feel about the funding of these programs (especially the Global Fund). It's important that we let them know how we feel about this issue - it's the whole reason behind why we wear the ONE bands.

Thanks for caring, my friend. I'm sure the people who we are trying to help would thank us to if they could.:up:
 
It's nice for once to be able to say Santorum and good legislation in the same sentence.:wink: A friend of mine brought me a One bracelet back from a U2 concert, but I wouldn't wear it since I wasn't doing anything. I still didn't do very much--just a token, so maybe I'll wear the bracelet once a month or something.

Keep us aware, Jamila. I'm easily distracted.
 
Thanks, BonosSaint, I will.

And here is something that EVERYONE can do for The ONE Campaign in June:



Dear Friend,

This summer, President Bush and seven other leaders from the world's wealthiest nations will gather to discuss the fate of the ONE billion people around the world living in extreme poverty. In early July, the Group of Eight (G8) will discuss the major social, political and economic conditions that contribute to extreme poverty. There are historic plans in place to beat poverty in Africa and the poorest countries. This is our chance to support our leaders in making these plans a reality. Let's raise our voices as ONE to Make Poverty History.

Tell your friends about ONE today!


Your voice is already making a difference. Yesterday's Washington Post featured ONE and our efforts to build "a permanent big-tent movement" to urge President Bush and other world leaders to take action at the G8 and lead an entire generation out of poverty. Together we can build this movement.


Ask your friends, family and colleagues to join us at this crucial moment

Together as ONE, we can let President Bush know Americans support the fight against global AIDS and poverty!

On June ONE, we will launch an unprecedented mobilization of Americans calling on President Bush to deliver a historic deal for the world's poor at the G8 Summit. If everyone who reads this e-mail encourages just 3 friends to join ONE, we will be well over ONE MILLION strong in time for the G8 Summit. That's ONE million voices united behind ONE message: Make Poverty History!

Make history this summer. Tell your friends that NOW is the time for action - ask them to join you for the largest-ever movement against global poverty in American history.

Thank you,

The ONE Team

P.S. For more information about the G8 and the historic opportunity to fight global poverty and AIDS through more and better aid, debt cancellation and trade justice, click here.



PLEASE help with this action on behalf of the world's poorest people.:up:
 
PS Jamila..one more thing...

I got an email today that had a link to local June 1st "One" events in my area, but the link doesn't work. Is there a way to access this via the offical site?
 
if your area is New York, Teta040, there are no ONE action days scheduled for your area.

The best you can do is to email aneroth@bread.org to see how best you can get involved with ONE.

Hope this helps, if not, pm me and I'll see what more I can do.:up:
 
What!>!?!?!?! NY has NADA??? NOt even NYC?

Really. Come on:wink:

Oh well...

PS I wasn't slagging you Jam in that other thread...
 
again, Teta040, pm me to see what can be done in your area for ONE.

As you may know, I have been actively volunteering for The ONE Campaign in my area (which also doesn't have a DATA co-ordinator for ONE) for a year now, and have simply been my own organizing and outreach for DATA and ONE.

I have collected nearly 1,00 signatures for ONE in the past year, staff outreach booths at universities, churches and community events, speak to groups about the AIDS pandemic in Africa and how they can help through The ONE Campaign and have just successfully formed a small but dynamic volunteer support group for ONE in my area!

So, if you or anyone else wants to talk about volunteer possibilities for ONE - I'm willing to provide you with any assistance that I can.

Not to brag, but when I met Bono in Chicago during the Vertigo tour, he thanked me for everything that I'm doing for ONE, so that makes all my intense efforts worthwhile! :yes:
 
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