WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Capital Comment -- Daily news notes, political rumors, and important events that shape politics and public policy in Washington and the world from United Press International.
A peaceful outcome...
As the situation in Venezuela grows tenser by the day, the United States is calling on both sides in the struggle to reject violence and find a peaceful way to settle their differences. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher reiterated the U.S. government's complete support for Organization of American States Secretary General Cesar Gaviria as he works to find a constitutional solution to the crisis in Caracas. Last week gunmen fired on unarmed anti-government demonstrators protesting the rule of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. "The United States is distressed by the outbreak of violence... in Caracas that again left peaceful demonstrators wounded and dead," Boucher said in a statement. "We call on all sides to reject violence, act responsibly, continue to support the dialogue process, and respect constitutional processes" Similar demonstrations earlier in the year led to a coup in which Chavez was temporarily removed from power.
Festival of lights...
The White House has been in a festive mood of late. In addition to the lighting of the national Christmas tree and presidential efforts to acknowledge Muslims during their holy month of Ramadan, President and Mrs. Bush also played host to a White House Hanukah party, the second since he took office in January 2001.
On the guest list were rabbis from across the country and leaders of major Jewish organizations including the leadership of the Republican Jewish Coalition -- singled out for special praise and recognition for their work on behalf of the administration.
Kosher food was included on the bill of fare and traditional latkes, a pancake made from potatoes, were also on the menu. A silver menorah was prominently displayed in he entrance hall. President and Mrs. Bush posed for pictures in the Green Room -- a backdrop without Christmas décor -- with each couple in attendance. The full traditional band played in the formal upper foyer, and downstairs at the entry, a children's choir sang Hanukah songs.
Kumbayah...
More than 100 communities in 35 states are playing host Tuesday to rallies, marches, and protests by liberal groups and activists against what organizers say are the White House's "plans to invade Iraq at any cost." One event on the agenda is a peace rally outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City, In Spokane, Wash., local residents are scheduled to parade through downtown carrying anti-war signs and signing carols. "The formation of United for Peace will mark a breakthrough for the peace movement -- the diversity and breadth of groups involved is astounding. We are building a new, unconventional network to oppose a U.S. attack on Iraq," TransAfrica Forum President Bill Fletcher, a leading organizer of the protests, said. Other groups playing a role in the event include the National Organization for Women, the National Council of Churches, Peace Action, and the American Friends Service Committee. The demonstrations have been organized to coincide with International Human Rights Day.
Better than cursing the darkness...
On Tuesday evening, a candlelight vigil outside the international headquarters of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights in Los Angeles will be held to mark what organizers say is the "memory of the hundreds of children who have tragically died due to abusive psychiatric treatment." The group, which is affiliated with the anti-psychiatry Church of Scientology, has just put out a report called The Silent Death of America's Children in which it calls for additional legal safeguards to prevent the deaths of children in the American mental health system. According to the CCHR, more than 6 million children in the United States have been prescribed mind-altering psychotropic drugs to treat emotional illness and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Pulling together...
An international ad campaign exposing what sponsors call "an attempt by the Bush administration, the Vatican and their allies to overturn a global consensus achieved in 1994 in Cairo on reproductive health and family planning" begins this week. Catholics for a Free Choice, a liberal lay group, is placing ads in major newspapers in Asia, Europe and the U.S. on opening day of the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, to focus worldwide attention on this strategy. The ad's headline -- "The Bush administration has picked its next target" -- appears over a photo of a mother and child from a developing country. The text of the ad explains how the Bush administration is, according to CFC, joining forces with the Vatican and Christian fundamentalists in the United States to "impose minority religious views on the rest of the world ... women and families in the developing world will pay the price."
We can hardly wait...
The American International Automobile Dealers is busily reminding folks during the holiday season that on Jan. 1, 2003, the federal auto luxury tax is set to expire. "Jan. 1, 2003, is a day long anticipated by automobile dealers. After six years of strong lobbying by dealers at the grassroots, intense pressure during AIADA's Automotive Congress in Washington each year, and constant vigilance, this tax will finally be off the books," AIADA Chairman Jamie Auffenberg said. Congress originally imposed the auto luxury tax in 1990 as part of the first Bush administration's budget agreement with congressional Democrats. Intended to tax the purchases of high-income individuals, the reality of the assessment was that small business auto dealers were forced pay all or part of the tax to complete a sale.
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