Your 5 Minute Activist Links for April 15, 2008

** ACLU **
1) In a stunning admission to ABC news Friday night, President Bush declared that he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details of the CIA's use of torture. Bush reportedly told ABC, "I'm aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved." Bush also defended the use of waterboarding.

The ACLU is calling on Congress to demand an independent prosecutor to investigate possible violations by the Bush administration of laws including the War Crimes Act, the federal Anti-Torture Act, and federal assault laws.
Take Action: Demand that your members of Congress reject torture by holding to account those responsible for approving and implementing these un-American policies.


2) Last May, the Supreme Court ruled in Ledbetter v. Goodyear that employees who have suffered years of pay discrimination cannot have their day in court if they don’t discover the discrimination within 180 days of their employer’s initial discriminatory pay decision.

The Ledbetter decision not only reversed years of employment law, it also ignored the realities of a workplace. Often employees don’t know what their co-workers are paid. Further, expecting that they learn that information within the first 180 days of a pay decision is unreasonable. Unless Congress intervenes, companies will be able to discriminate for years and unjustly profit from paying women, minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities, as long as it keeps the discrimination secret for a few months.
The Fair Pay Restoration Act (S.1843), is now before the U.S. Senate. The time has come for the Senate to correct this wrong and let American workers keep their hard-earned dollars. Urge your Senators to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act!

** Democrats.com **
In the wake of the Monkey King's admission to knowledge of torture, we've come to a historic moment where every American - and every Member of Congress - must take a stand.

Either you're for torture or you're against it. And if you're against it, you must support the only Constitutional remedy for a President and Vice President who commit war crimes: impeachment.
Tell Congress to Impeach Bush and Cheney for Torture

** Humane Society **
The European Environment Commissioner has announced a plan to ban the trade in all seal products originating from inhumane hunts. This builds upon the historic declaration by the European parliament in 2006. If an EU-wide ban is enacted, the fashion houses serving the main markets for seal skins today -- China and Russia -- would be forced to stop, and millions of baby seals would be saved from cruel slaughter.

In the meantime, many nations have either banned seal product trade or announced their intentions to do so. They include: Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, Panama, Mexico, and the United States. Just the potential for an EU ban on seal products has saved thousands of seals already. Prices paid for seal skins this year have declined so much that most sealers have chosen to stay home.
Tell the EU that you strongly support a total ban on trade in seal products by signing the petition here.

** People for the American Way **
Repairing the damage to our Constitution and our standing in the world will take years, but RIGHT NOW certain senators can stop more of President Bush's dangerous judicial nominees from getting lifetime seats on the federal courts.
As the Republican tantrum over unconfirmed nominees continues, key Democratic senators are starting to echo what we've been saying: in these months leading up to a presidential election, controversial nominees need not and should not be considered for confirmation. Hundreds of Bush judges are already doing plenty of damage to your rights and legal protections.
Tell senators on the Judiciary Committee to stand up to Bush and his Senate allies by invoking the well-established Senate tradition of not considering controversial judicial nominees in the months leading up to a presidential election.


** Leahy for US Senate **
First the Bush-Cheney Administration tried to bully the House into accepting its own deeply flawed FISA legislation. Then White House officials and Congressional Republicans refused to meet with us to hammer out a better bill. And then the President and his allies blocked our attempts to temporarily extend existing surveillance legislation -- incredibly blaming Democrats for their own efforts to let the legislation expire.
Despite all of this bullying, cajoling, and foot-dragging, we're proud that our House Democratic colleagues stood firm, refusing to water down the strong, balanced FISA bill that passed the House and is now on its way to the Senate.
Urge the Senate to support the House's strong and balanced FISA bill -- forward an email to your Senators now!