As the war becomes more deadly, costly and counter-productive each day, a growing majority of citizens want to see a change of course in Iraq and U.S. foreign policies that better reflect American values.

With mid-term elections approaching, Peace Action's Peace Voter 2006 campaign will bring the occupation of Iraq and other key foreign policy issues to the forefront of the electoral debate.

We will put our elected officials on record on critical peace and security issues and demand their commitment to a more responsible foreign policy for our country.

By making peace the top priority in 2006, you can make a big impact at the local level, helping to build a powerful movement of people willing to organize for peace on Election Day, and beyond. This November, let's hold Congress accountable to the rising tide of public opinion that's urging an end to the war in Iraq and a new direction for U.S. relations with the world.

Become a Peace Voter today.

1100 Wayne Ave. Ste 1020, Silver Spring MD 20910 (301) 565-4050 www.Peace-Action.org

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in your community.

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Pasta for Peace

Hoosiers for Peace requests the honor of your presence…

What: Share Sunday Gravy with Local Progressives at Pasta for Peace. Good Food, Stimulating Conversation, Inspirational Music, Film, and Art and a Silent Auction. Did we mention the pasta was shaped like peace signs? To reserve your seat, call 202-9302 or e-mail heather@hoosiersforpeace.org. Seats are limited and going fast.

When: June 25, 2006 from 1 to 4 p.m. (with dinner at 2 p.m.)

Where: Indianapolis Peace and Learning Center (6040 DeLong Rd.) in Eagle Creek Park.

Why: Now is the time to spread the word to mainstream America to unite and stand up for peace. Hoosiers for Peace is sponsoring a statewide advertising campaign, which is focused on uniting the community to call for peace. This campaign will cost $14,000. This money will be used to pay for a full-page ad in the Indianapolis Star to ask more than 700,000 Hoosiers to call for peace. To find out more visit www.hoosiersforpeace.org

Cost: Adults $20, Children 5-12 $7, Children under 5 eat free. All proceeds will go towards the advertising campaign. Seats are limited, contact Heather for tickets today: 202-9302 or e-mail heather@hoosiersforpeace.org.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.  -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

May 7, 2006

Dear Peacemakers,

Will you help to spread and encourage peace? With a record number of American soldiers dying in April 2006 and possible military action against Iran becoming daily news, now is the time to spread the word to mainstream America to unite and stand up for peace.

Hoosiers for Peace is sponsoring a statewide advertising campaign, which is focused on uniting the community to call for peace. This campaign will cost $14,000. This money will be used to pay for a full-page ad in the Indianapolis Star to ask more than 700,000 Hoosiers to call for peace. We are contacting dozens of organizations to make a proposal to form a coalition to raise funds and send a collaborative message to Hoosiers to Call for Peace. The message is: Call your friends, your family, and your representatives and ask them to support the Call for Peace.

Like most Americans, we oppose war based on the following, which will be reflected in the advertisement:

A. War Kills. More than 2,400 American Soldiers have died and nearly 1,000 Hoosier soldiers are in harms way.

B. War depletes our resources. Billions of dollars are going to sustain war efforts while ordinary citizens struggle for social services.

C. War will not make us secure. Studies have shown that the U.S. is no more secure today than it was before 911.

Hoosiers for Peace, a website sponsored by Progressive Indiana, requests your support to make this advertisement a success. We will use the advertisement to call for peace. Each group in the coalition working on this project will be listed in the ad. Each group will be asked to raise $1000 by October 1, 2006. Below are some suggestions for fundraising:

1. Letter Writing Campaign: Contact your family and friends and ask them to support this call for peace. Tell them how many people we can reach and ask them to make a generous donation and spread the word. You may collect the money through your organization or you may refer them to Progressive Indiana. Donations may be sent through our secure online giving by going to www.progressiveindiana.org and click on donate now or log onto www.hoosiersforpeace and click on donate now. Checks may also be made payable to Progressive Indiana and mailed to:

Progressive Indiana

P.O. Box 55253

Indianapolis, Indiana 46205-0253

2. Host a house party. Go grassroots and organize a pasta dinner or backyard barbecue and ask for a donation from each guest. Play poker and donate half of each pot to the campaign for peace. Have a bake sale through your church or place of employment.

3. Plan a small event. Invite your community to an event and ask for donations for the ad. Small concerts, speakers, and socials are some ideas for these events. Get creative and network!

We need at least 14 groups to join the coalition and many more people to join the campaign to help fill in possible gaps. If we join together we can make this happen and we can bring Hoosiers together through this ad. As we Honor the Dead, Heal the Wounded, and call for an End to the War we can stand united for peace. We can make a difference by showing ordinary Hoosiers that there are many people like them working for peace. Please contact us as soon as possible if you would like to participate in this campaign. With a little work and collaboration we can make a large impact on our community.

In Peace,

Heather Allen-Garde

Director, Hoosiers For Peace

heather@hooisersforpeace.org

heatherreneeallen@yahoo.com

317/202-9302

It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it – Eleanor Roosevelt

About the Author

Dr. David C. Korten has authored numerous books, including When Corporations Rule the World, and The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism. He is a co-founder and board chair of the Positive Futures Network, which publishes YES! A Journal of Positive Futures; founder and president of The People-Centered Development Forum; an associate of the International Forum on Globalization; and a member of the Club of Rome. A former Harvard Business School professor, Air Force captain, and USAID advisor, he has more than thirty years experience living and working in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. He also serves on the boards of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and the Bainbridge Graduate Institute.

David Korten

Butler University

June 26, 2006

7pm

Reilley Room

Atherton Hall

Suggested Donation is $5.00

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We demand our country back.

The Not Your Soldier Project gives youth the tools we need to stop the military invasion of our schools and our communities.

Not Your Soldier Action Camps bring together young people who are heavily targeted by military recruitment. At the camps, youth learn how to take action to fight military recruitment, the poverty draft, and the corporations that profit off of war.

In 2006, Not Your Soldier will be hosting a national camp for youth and adult allies.

>>Go to the Pick a Camp section to find out more!

If you're interested in hosting a regional Not Your Soldier gathering, find out more here.

Not Your Soldier National Days of Action are coordinated days of creative, non-violent direct action where youth take leadership and tell recruiters, "We are Not Your Soldiers!"

>>Sign up for our action alert e-mail list!

Parents: have questions? Check out Info for Parents, and our FAQ's to find out what the camps will be like.

Today's News and Views

SOURCE:	Gallup Poll News Service
CONTACT INFORMATION:	Media Relations 1-202-715-3030 Subscriber Relations 1-888-274-5447 Gallup World Headquarters 901 F Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20004

June 16, 2006

Americans' Retrospective Judgments of Clinton Improving

Ten-point increase in Clinton's retrospective approval rating

by Jeffrey M. Jones

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- A new Gallup Poll finds a significant increase in Americans' judgments of Bill Clinton's performance as president, as well as significant declines in reviews of the elder George Bush. Most other recent presidents' ratings have not changed in the last four years. John F. Kennedy remains the most positively rated of the former presidents tested, while Richard Nixon gets the lowest marks.

The June 1-4 Gallup Poll asked Americans for retrospective approval ratings on all U.S. presidents since Kennedy, using the following question wording:

From what you have heard, read, or remember about some of our past presidents, please tell me if you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following handled their job as president?

The results are as follows:

	Approve	Disapprove
	%	%
John F. Kennedy	84	9
Ronald Reagan	71	27
Jimmy Carter	61	34
Bill Clinton	61	38
Gerald Ford	60	26
The elder George Bush, father of the current president	56	42
Lyndon Johnson	41	41
Richard Nixon	28	65

Kennedy gets the highest retrospective approval rating, at 84%. Ronald Reagan ranks second at 71%. Roughly 6 in 10 Americans approve of the jobs Jimmy Carter, Clinton, Bush, and Gerald Ford did as president. Only two presidents do not receive net positive retrospective ratings -- Lyndon Johnson, of whom 41% approve and 41% disapprove, and Nixon, of whom just 28% approve.

When Gallup last asked this question in March 2002, just 51% approved of Clinton's performance as president, 10 points lower than his current retrospective rating. In the 2002 poll, the elder Bush's rating was 69%, which, compared with the current 56%, has declined 13 points. Most other presidents' ratings have remained stable and are within a few points of their 2002 measurements. There has been a small but statistically significant change in Nixon's evaluations -- the current 28% rating is down from 34% in 2002 and is the lowest Gallup has ever measured for him on this question, which was first asked in 1990.

Since 1990, ratings of Carter and Reagan have grown significantly more positive over time. In November 1990, just 54% approved of Reagan and 45% of Carter. The big jump in both former presidents' ratings took place between 1993 and 1999 -- Reagan's retrospective rating improved from 52% in 1993 to 71% in 1999, and Carter's improved from 45% to 69%. Carter's rating has worsened in recent years.

Retrospective Versus Actual Approval Ratings

Of the presidents measured in the survey, Kennedy had the highest average approval rating while in office at 70%, but this is not as good as his 84% retrospective rating. In addition to Kennedy, the retrospective ratings of Reagan, Clinton, Carter, and Ford are higher than their averages while in office. Bush's, Johnson's, and Nixon's retrospective approval ratings are lower than their presidency averages.

Of these eight presidents, Reagan's image has improved the most since he left office. His 71% retrospective rating is 18 percentage points higher than his 53% approval average as president.

	Retrospective approval rating	Average approval rating while in office	Difference
	%	%
John F. Kennedy	84	70	+14
Ronald Reagan	71	53	+18
Jimmy Carter	61	45	+16
Bill Clinton	61	55	+6
Gerald Ford	60	47	+13
The elder George Bush	56	61	-5
Lyndon Johnson	41	55	-14
Richard Nixon	28	49	-21

Partisanship Influences Retrospective Evaluations

Party affiliation is strongly related to one's evaluations of presidents, particularly in the case of the most recent presidents. Nine in 10 Democrats say they approve of the jobs Kennedy and Clinton did as president, while 80% say this of Carter. The only Republican president who gets majority retrospective approval from Democrats is Ford, at 58%.

Ninety-seven percent of Republicans approve of Reagan's performance as president and 87% approve of Bush. Kennedy is the only Democratic president of whom a majority of Republicans approve.

	Democrats	Independents	Republicans
	%	%	%
John F. Kennedy	90	83	77
Ronald Reagan	45	75	97
Jimmy Carter	80	57	42
Bill Clinton	91	58	30
Gerald Ford	58	58	65
The elder George Bush	28	56	87
Lyndon Johnson	48	41	34
Richard Nixon	16	28	42

Ratings of the three most recent presidents are highly polarized. There is a 61-point gap in Republicans' and Democrats' evaluations of Clinton, a 59-point gap in ratings of Bush the elder, and a 52-point gap for Reagan. The least polarized evaluations are of Ford -- there is just a seven-point difference in Republican (65%) and Democratic (58%) evaluations of him.

Survey Methods

These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,002 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted June 1-4, 2006. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

17. From what you have heard, read, or remember about some of our past presidents, please tell me if you approve or disapprove of the way each of the following handled their job as president. How about … [RANDOM ORDER]

A. Bill Clinton

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion

2006 Jun 1-4	61%	38	1

2002 Mar 18-20	51%	47	2

B. The elder George Bush, father of the current president

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	56	42	3

2002 Mar 18-20	69	26	5
2000 Feb 14-15 ^	74	23	3
1999 Feb 8-9 ^	76	22	2
1993 Nov 15-16 ^	58	40	2

^WORDING: George Bush

C. Ronald Reagan

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	71	27	2

2002 Mar 18-20	73	22	5
2000 Feb 14-15	66	32	2
1999 Feb 8-9	71	27	2
1993 Nov 15-16	52	45	3
1992 Jun 4-8	50	47	3
1990 Nov 8-11	54	44	2

D. Jimmy Carter

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	61	34	5

2002 Mar 18-20	60	28	12
2000 Feb 14-15	64	31	5
1999 Feb 8-9	69	27	4
1993 Nov 15-16	45	50	5
1992 Jun 4-8	48	46	6
1990 Nov 8-11	45	52	3

E. Gerald Ford

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	60	26	14

2002 Mar 18-20	60	19	21
2000 Feb 14-15	66	25	9
1999 Feb 8-9	71	22	7
1993 Nov 15-16	50	33	17
1992 Jun 4-8	56	29	15
1990 Nov 8-11	55	34	11

F. Richard Nixon

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	28	65	6

2002 Mar 18-20	34	54	12
2000 Feb 14-15	31	65	4
1999 Feb 8-9	34	63	3
1993 Nov 15-16	37	56	7
1992 Jun 4-8	35	59	6
1990 Nov 8-11	32	62	6

G. Lyndon Johnson

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	41	41	18

2002 Mar 18-20	39	34	27
2000 Feb 14-15	48	39	13
1999 Feb 8-9	45	45	10
1993 Nov 15-16	35	43	22
1992 Jun 4-8	35	45	20
1990 Nov 8-11	40	43	17

H. John F. Kennedy

	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion
	%	%	%
2006 Jun 1-4	84	9	7

2002 Mar 18-20	83	7	10
2000 Feb 14-15	86	10	4
1999 Feb 8-9	85	13	2
1993 Nov 15-16	78	13	9
1992 Jun 4-8	76	14	10
1990 Nov 8-11	84	9	7

Copyright © 2006 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. Gallup^®, A^8TM, Business Impact Analysis^TM, CE^11®, Clifton StrengthsFinder^TM, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder theme names, Customer Engagement Index^TM, Drop Club^TM, Emotional Economy^TM, Employee Engagement Index^TM, Employee Outlook Index^TM, Follow This Path^TM, Gallup Brain^TM, Gallup Consulting^TM, Gallup Management Journal^®, GMJ^®, Gallup Press^TM, Gallup Publishing^TM, Gallup Tuesday Briefing^®, Gallup University^TM, HumanSigma^®, I^10TM, L^3TM, PrincipalInsight^TM, Q^12®, SE^25TM, SF^34®, SRI^®, Strengths Spotlight^TM, Strengths-Based Selling^TM, StrengthsCoach^TM, StrengthsFinder^®, StrengthsQuest^TM, TeacherInsight^TM, The Gallup Path^®, and The Gallup Poll^®are trademarks of The Gallup Organization. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. These materials are provided for noncommercial, personal use only.

Media

Mourning in America
June 18, 2006

by Thomas P. Healy

On June 14, the day American casualties in Iraq hit 2,500, a reporter asked White House spokesman Tony Snow for the president’s response.

“It’s a number,” Snow said. “And every time there’s one of these 500 benchmarks, people want something.”

That same afternoon, peacemakers from around the state gathered on the south lawn of Veterans Memorial Plaza in downtown Indianapolis and filled a 100-square-foot section with American flags – one for each fallen soldier.

Glancing around the area, twice-wounded Vietnam War veteran Harold Donle wanted to know something. “Why are these 2,500 dead?” Without waiting for a reply, he supplied his own: “Because they were lied into a war."

“We’re trying to bring the reality of this war home,” the former Marine said of those gathered. “It doesn’t intrude on most people’s daily life. We want people to realize that these are 2,500 husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors, who are gone! This is not a movie.”

Donle is a member of Veterans for Peace Indiana Chapter 49, one of the organizers of the flag project. The Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center and Hoosiers for Peace co-sponsored the event.

***

Several dozen people crawled around the lawn on their hands and knees, using car keys to poke holes in the stubborn sod so the flags would remain upright. A black ribbon was stapled to each flag as a reminder of the loss of life.

Donle cued up a boombox that blared peace anthems, including Ray Charles’ version of “America the Beautiful.” Onlookers stood and watched the activity through teary eyes.

Retired schoolteacher Norma Abbey, who drove down from Anderson with a friend, carried a sign that read, “Stop the Occupation, Stop the Torture.”

“We entered the war on a bunch of lies,” she said. “Why are we there? Why are 2,500 dead? What have they accomplished? They’ve removed a dictator and given Iraq chaos and violence.”

While Abbey has no kin in the military, she expressed particular concern for those who do.

“The families of the troops who are over there are the only people who are really suffering. The rest of us just go on with our lives.”

***

High school senior Kelly McGuire said the event made an important statement.

“People like to dance around the idea that people are actually dying and things aren’t going so well in Iraq,” he said. “To me this event is just the cold harsh reality of what’s going on.”

McGuire is acutely aware of the burden the endless war on terror places on his generation.

“This 2,500 is really just the beginning,” he said. “We’re the ones who are going to foot the bill. We’re the ones who are going to have to deal with it by going off to fight this war, fight the next one in Iran and fight wherever else we get sent.”

McGuire reached in his satchel and pulled out a flyer.

“We’re putting together a concert in Broad Ripple on July 1st to benefit an organization called World Can’t Wait,” he said. “We’re dedicated to driving out the Bush regime and making a massive change.”

***

Heather Allen-Garde, an organizer for Hoosiers for Peace, said she hoped the visual representation of the number of casualties would cause people to stop and think about the war and be motivated to act by urging Congress to bring the troops home.

“We’re interested in immediate withdrawal,” she said, “but we’d be satisfied with withdrawal by the end