Nader, activists, to press Pelosi for end to war
and for accountability to constituents

Ralph Nader
Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

What: Nader Press Conference & Visit to Pelosi's Office

When: Thursday, February 15, 2007, 11:00 a.m.

Where: Phillip Burton Federal Building Plaza, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco

Ralph Nader along with constituents of Speaker of the House Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's district will hold a press conference and then visit Pelosi's office. Nader will be pressing Pelosi to use her position as Speaker to end the funding for the war. He will also be announcing the formation of a Pelosi watchdog group.

When Nader was last in San Francisco and spoke at the Roxie Theater on December 28, 2006, he challenged the audience to form a Pelosi Watch group. Medea Benjamin and other activists from the Green Party, Code Pink and other groups responded to the call, and they will be launching a Pelosi Watch website next week. The website will host updates on Pelosi's actions, op eds, blogs and legislative positions, including her votes on appropriations for the Iraq war. Nader is watching the Democrats actions on the war and he has said that he has not yet decided whether he will make another presidential bid in 2008.

Nader is going to Pelosi's office to underscore the demand of growing numbers of people for her to use her power as Speaker and her leadership role in the Democratic Party to end the war quickly. Nader's visit to Pelosi's office comes a day after the women's anti-war group Code Pink's Valentine's Day action delivering hearts to Pelosi urging her to defund the war and requesting she meet with anti-war groups in the district before month's end.

Code Pink's actions were the first, and Nader's the second, of a series of lobbying visits to be made by various groups being coordinated by the Pelosi Lobby Project . The participants will be posting their report-backs from the meetings on the web. The Project is now doing outreach to expand the number of individuals and community groups who will lobby Pelosi to take concrete steps to bring the troops home. Several groups are scheduled to make visits next week.

Nader well known for his presidential campaigns and citizen advocacy is in town giving lectures about his new book "The Seventeen Traditions". A new documentary on his life and accomplishments "An Unreasonable Man" will have its San Francisco premiere March 9 th at the Lumiere Theater.

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