 JAC met with several elected officials, candidates and leaders around the country.
JAC member Deborah Gordon Klehr (right) was granted credentials to argue before the US Supreme Court, with her sponsor and fellow JAC member
Nancy Gordon
 2014 JAC Power of Women Luncheon Committee
JAC met with Lt. Gov John Walsh, Senate Candidate for Montana
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On Our Radar
|  | Federal Legislation we are watching:
* Federal 20-week abortion ban
* Voting Rights Act
* Unemployment Benefits
* Paycheck Fairness
* Immigration Reform * Sexual Assault in the Military * Farm Bill - food aid (SNAP)
* HR 1565 - Public Safety &
2nd Amendment Rights Act
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According to right-wing lawmakers, outlawing abortion "very much promotes job creation!"
HR-7 would:
- Tax health plans that cover abortion
- Require IRS audits of rape survivors
- Make the Hyde Amendment permanent
- Redefine rape and incest
- Ban abortion from all government health insurance plans (including Medicaid, military and government employee plans, and residents of Washington, DC)
- and much more
Call today and tell your Representative to vote NO on HR-7.
Your voice DOES make a difference.
Call today.
(202) 224-3121
Stay informed,
share your knowledge.
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See JAC's Action Alerts here. |
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Upcoming JAC Events
|  | Talking Points HP
JAC Discusses Gun Violence
January 24th
Deerfield, IL
RSVP Today
Michigan
Membership Meeting
Details to follow
Palm Beach Meeting
Spring 2014
Details to follow
Want to host an event in your area? Contact the JAC office. |
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Upcoming Candidate Events
|  | An Evening with
Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11)
January 30th
Evanston, IL
Click for Details
RSVP to the JAC office 847.433.5999. |
Why It Matters:
Immigration Reform
We are a nation of immigrants. Whatever our backgrounds, every one of us has ancestors who made the journey to the United States, in search of better lives. In spite of this, many Americans want to "pull up the ladders behind them" and prevent future generations access to the American dream.
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JACBLOG!
Remember to check out our blog to keep up with current issues and opinion and to sort fact from fiction on the Internet. Be sure to read Presidential Ponderings, thoughts and observations from JACPAC President Janna Berk.
for comments, opinions, essays, and more from JAC members.
Have something you want to say, submit it to Open Mic today!
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This week's issue highlights these key developments here and in the Middle East:- Think there is a crisis in the US-Israel relationship? Think again.
- 41 years of Roe v Wade in 13 charts.
- A Texas family is suing to take a pregnant woman off life support and want state law declared unconstitutional.
- University of Connecticut football controversy - new staff member wanted Jesus in the center of their huddle.
- House conservatives seeking a more right-wing home are forming the Liberty Caucus.
- Can young people impact gun violence legislation?
- Possible bi-partisan progress on immigration reform.
- What Israeli company will have a Super Bowl ad? Hint: look for Scarlett Johansson.
- JAC around town
- and so much more!
This week's EZ Read brings you these stories and some that may have slipped past your news feed.
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US Sec of State John Kerry: Photo Matty Stern/US Embassy Tel Aviv
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Kerry expected to unveil framework at end of month for continuation of peace talks
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/09/4031477/islamic-cleric-in-gaza-rejects.htmlstorylink=cpy
US Secretary of State John Kerry will present a framework paper that will serve as a basis for further negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of the month, Palestinian sources said on Saturday.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/09/4031477/islamic-cleric-in-gaza-rejects.htmlstorylink=cpy
Read Full Article
What Crisis in U.S.-Israeli Relations? The U.S.-Israeli relationship is so popular in the U.S. and the level of collegiality and cooperation is so high, that the slightest disagreement or hostile word leads to a media consensus that a "crisis" between Jerusalem and Washington is upon us. All of these analysts forget one major element in the U.S.-Israeli relationship: Congress.
13,000 teens complete Hamas training camps to emulate 'suicide martyrs'
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/09/4031477/islamic-cleric-in-gaza-rejects.htmlstorylink=cpy
Numbers more than double in second year of Gaza's 'Pioneers of Liberation' program; females also trained.
Read Full Article An Iran Hawk's Case Against New Iran Sanctions
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/09/4031477/islamic-cleric-in-gaza-rejects.htmlstorylink=cpy
For years, Iran hawks have argued that only punishing sanctions, combined with the threat of military force, would bring Tehran to the nuclear negotiating table. Finally, Iran is at the table.
Read Full Article
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Thirteen charts that explain how Roe v. Wade changed abortion rights
Wednesday marks the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion a legal right. The decision was transformational: Overnight, abortion went from being banned by all but a handful of states to being legal in all 50. Movements quickly built up in defense, and in opposition, of the ruling.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/20/4133089/kansas-abortion-bill-is-cruel.html#storylink=cpy
Federal court permanently blocks North Carolina's narrated ultrasound law
A federal court on Friday permanently blocked a North Carolina law requiring women to undergo coercive counseling and a narrated ultrasound prior to obtaining an abortion. The judge permanently enjoined the unconstitutional law, ruling that "the Act requires providers to deliver the state's message to women who take steps not to hear it and to women who will be harmed by receiving it with no legitimate purpose."
Read Full Article
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As Roe v Wade turns 41, barriers still exist Source: Guttmacher Institute
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Can 'Roe' Survive the Roberts Court?
Though Roe's foundation feels shakier today than ever, it has long been under attack-first with Harris v. McRae,the Supreme Court case decided just a few years after Roe that upheld the constitutionality of the Hyde Amendment and effectively cut off access to abortion for the poor by making it too expensive to obtain. That attack accelerated after Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 Supreme Court decision that held states could restrict abortion rights so long as those restrictions did not pose an "undue burden." Since Casey, but especially since 2010, anti-choice activists have rushed to find out just how far they can go to restrict abortion rights under that standard.
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/20/4133089/kansas-abortion-bill-is-cruel.html#storylink=cpy
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Separation of Religion & State
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UConn President Says No Place for Jesus in Football Huddle
The president of the University of Connecticut is taking issue with a member of the school's new football staff saying "Jesus Christ should be in the center of our huddle."
Read Full Article
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House conservatives fed up with conservative caucus, form even more conservative caucus
The Liberty Caucus is a popular new far-right alternative to the far-right Republican Study Committee.
Why Democrats Can't Roll Back Abortion Restrictions
Abortion clinics that are marking Wednesday's anniversary of Roe v. Wade by calling on Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to protect abortion rights have every right to expect a sympathetic ear. The Democratic governor put the issue at the forefront of his campaign last year, and Planned Parenthood spent roughly $2 million to help McAuliffe and two other Democrats sweep the statewide offices for the first time since 1989. But will that mean a rollback in new regulations curtailing abortion rights for Virginia women? Hardly.
Read Full Article
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Texas gun show loses county venue after refusing background checks
A dispute over background checks is preventing a Texas county from hosting a long-running gun show at its Exposition Center. Saxet Gun Shows has hosted a show nearly every month since 2010, but when county officials wanted the company to require background checks for all firearm transactions, Saxet refused.
Read Full Article
How youth can refocus gun-violence conversation
More than 11,500 individuals have died from guns in the United States since the tragedy in Newtown. To many people, gun violence isn't typically thought of as a youth issue. But Clements hopes that groups like hers - the Junior Newtown Action Alliance - indicates a shift in the movement's leaders and gun-reform efforts. Unlike legislators on both sides of the political spectrum who have failed to reach a compromise, young Americans have the ability to present new, unbiased ideas to an ongoing debate.
Read Full Article
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/11/02/5875831/gun-violence-goes-on-and-so-does.html#storylink=cpy
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2 Friends Reach Across the Aisle on Immigration
The two women might at first seem more like political rivals than a reminder of the way things used to work in Washington. But if there is any way to unlock the immigration stalemate in Washington, colleagues say these two might find it. Read Full Article
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Scarlett Johansson stands tall against Israel boycotters
One of the sexiest women in America has the PC crowd in a swivet. Scarlett Johansson, you see, is shooting a Super Bowl ad for SodaStream.
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Our members count on JACPAC to provide information on current events, candidates, and elections. JACPAC depends on membership support to make this possible. If you have not renewed your membership, please consider doing so today, to help us pursue a strong US-Israel relationship, reproductive rights, and separation of religion and state. Together we can make this a better world! Sincerely,
Janna Berk, President
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Research Director |
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