I got this as an e-mail - Need to ponder

Dear Jay Cole, The extremism of today’s Republican Party has been on full display over the last few weeks in Washington and in states across the country, and People For the American Way has been fighting back, and we’ve been fighting back hard Anti-Worker Attacks - The first chapter of Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union crusade may have ended this week as Wisconsin Republicans tossed aside legal constraints to pass a union-crushing bill, but in Wisconsin and other states, the fight is still on to make sure that government works for people, not corporate interests. In Wisconsin, People For is engaged in the campaign to recall the State Senators who broke the law so they could punish teachers, librarians and other public servantsand are now still trying to shut Democrats out of the legislative process. In Ohio, we’re organizing members and activists on the ground, and all across the country our members are participating in rallies and demonstrations for the basic rights of American workers. As right-wing governors and legislators double down on their efforts to suppress working Americans’ rights and opportunities with their authoritarian tactics, polling shows that majorities of voters in these states are wishing they could reverse the results of the 2010 election and we look to be starting off on very strong footing in the Wisconsin recall. Restricting Choice - While Republican candidates talked a great deal about the economy during the election, once they got elected there was no issue they were more eager to attack than restricting women’s right to reproductive freedom. Last week, People For the American Way released a survey of the legislation being pushed across the country to ratchet down on the right to choose. While some legislation is clearly unconstitutional, and will eventually be struck down in court, all of these measures are aimed at limiting women’s access to the care they deserve and could seriously undermine women’s reproductive freedom. People For’s members in states across the country are fighting to protect choice, and in the weeks and months ahead we’ll continue to raise the alarm about the GOP’s war on women. Standing up to Anti-Muslim Smears - One of the “lowlights” of the last few weeks was Congressman Peter King’s hearing attacking the Muslim American community in the name of national security. Despite ample evidence that American Muslims have been valuable, loyal participants in the fight against terrorism (to say nothing of the sacrifices made by Muslim Americans serving in the military) Congressman King decided to hold hearings reminiscent of Senator McCarthy’s anti-communist witch trials. We’ve been working with allies and the media to make sure that King’s hearings don’t go unchallenged, helping to organize a letter signed by over 50 progressive groups standing up to King’s fear mongering. Youth Spotlight: Chris Larson - Wisconsin State Senator Chris Larson is a member of our affiliate People For the American Way Foundation’s Young Elected Officials Network and aleading voice for working families in the Badger State. Throughout the fight against Governor Scott Walker’s destructive union-busting measure, Senator Larson has been talking to local and national audiences alike about the danger it posed to working families. At a rally this past Saturday, Sen. Larson said, "we woke up the sleeping middle class,” noting, “every step of the way they used the process to shut out the public, and every chance we got we wanted to make sure they (voters) were heard." Of the current recall effort under way, he added that Wisconsinites will now be "trading in rally signs for clipboards." We’ll continue to fight for the core constitutional values I know we share. Sincerely, Michael Keegan