And now for some good news

from the ONE campaign blog, an example of how activism can make a difference:

2/14/07

The Senate just passed the 2007 continuing resolution - 81 to 15!

The CR not only rescues the $1 billion that ONE members have fought to save over the past two months, but it adds an additional $450 million toward critical AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and refugee programs in the 2007 budget!

As you might recall, if congressional leaders had gone ahead with their plan to pass a straight continuing resolution, federal funding would have remained at 2006 levels for all of fiscal year 2007, and critical poverty programs would have lost an expected $1 billion increase. Hundreds of thousands of people whose lives relied on that funding would have died.

ONE members came together, however, and called, faxed, emailed, wrote letters and even met with their members of Congress, urging them to recover as much of the money as possible. All in all, ONE members sent more than 200,000 letters urging Congress to fully fund the fight against extreme poverty in 2007.

At the same time, Senators Dick Durbin and Sam Brownback and Representatives Christopher Shays and Barbara Lee, persuaded 142 of their colleagues to sign letters asking leaders in Congress to fully fund these critical programs for extreme poverty.

The result is an extraordinary turn of events.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 286 to 140 to pass the funding resolution on January 31 and now, thanks to the Senate's actions today, this critical funding has been recovered.

Many important priorities competed for the same money in this extremely tight budget. This remarkable victory, is not just for the movement, but for the hundreds of thousands of people in the world's poorest countries whose lives will be saved.

Congratulations to everyone.