Stand Up! Take Action! Vote!
by Stephen Gale
May 8, 2010
This election year is turning nasty. But they always do.
In partisan races, one expects to hear the Republican front-runner for Governor referred to by Democratic Party Leadership as “An empty suit,” even if the empty suit is named Meg Whitman. Unfortunately, this year the derogatory innuendo, half-truths, lies and damn lies told in negative campaign advertising is spilling over into both local non-partisan political races where all contenders are Democrats as well as the Democratic Primary races.
From Sonoma County PDA supporter and singer-songwriter, Gale Mead:
I’ve been watching the BP oil well disaster with growing horror, and it finally motivated me to do something with the footage I shot eight years ago when I worked with my mother on the Sustainable Seas Expeditions. I’ve compiled some images from a dive I did near the site of the blowout, with my song, “Where I Go” as the soundtrack. Here’s the video, and below that, what I wrote about it:
Carpets of crinoids – cousins of the sea-star – stretched their long limbs languidly into the current for morsels of planktonic food. Colorful tropical fish drifted among gracefully spiraling wire corals. Somber-faced grouper hovered warily while jacks and sharks cruised by, curious about the submersible’s lights. Fifty miles south of Mississippi, I was the first human ever to lay eyes on the teeming, thriving, dazzling undersea metropolis that was Salt Dome Mountain. As rich and diverse as Texas’ Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary to the west, or Florida’s coral reefs to the south, but a little deeper, and totally unexplored.
Join PDA’s Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here.
Connect the dots — Join a Brown Bag Lunch Vigil
Tom Hayden
May 7, 2010
Connect the dots — Join a Brown Bag Lunch Vigil
Published by The Nation.
The need for greater linkages between the environmental, peace and Wall Street reform movements grow by the day in the face of the epic oil spill caused by British Petroleum, a multinational firm tied to Goldman Sachs and Halliburton in oil wars from the Gulf of Mexico to the Persian Gulf.
Why is progressive Lynn Woolsey working so hard for center-right Jane Harman?
By Norman Solomon
bohemian.com
May 5, 2010
This is a grim story about the care and feeding of a Blue Dog.
Right now, Southern California congresswoman Jane Harman is facing a serious primary challenge from a genuine progressive. Harman is a member of the center-right caucus of House Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition. She has chosen not to join the Progressive Caucus.
In sharp contrast, her opponent, Marcy Winograd, is calling for the government “to invest in housing, education, healthcare, transportation—not to perpetuate a war economy that is draining us, robbing us of money that we desperately need.” And Winograd adds: “I challenge my opponent to stop voting for this war machine.”
While belonging to the largest caucus on Capitol Hill (with a membership now above 80), some members of the Progressive Caucus often say that they need more colleagues who’ll be willing to vote against war and in favor of a truly progressive legislative agenda. But if Progressive Caucus members want to move the House of Representatives in a progressive direction, you’d never know it when there’s a real chance to replace a Blue Dog with a progressive.
I spent a weekend with my PDA buddies in California, as we organized around the State Democratic Party Convention in Los Angeles. It was a great weekend, full of close friends, good beer, great speeches, and feisty agitation.
And it reminded me, once again, how important an organization PDA is to progressive populism.
Mary Nichols-Rhodes, PDA-OH state coordinator, started the discussion by describing the planning for both the US Social Forum in June and the National Peace Conference in July. PDA participation in both will be strong, because PDA is in alliance with a number of peace groups in the country. David Swanson, PDA Advisory Board member and founder of After Downing Street and DefundWar.org, gave his blunt assessment of the behind-the-scenes waiting game around the war supplemental being played by our members of Congress.
Who Let the Blue Dogs Out?
By Norman Solomon
Pt. Reyes Lighthouse
April 29, 2010
“What’s propelling the Winograd campaign— with its passion, commitment,fearlessness and antipathy toward the corporate warfare state—is exactly what Congress and the country need.” — Norman Solomon.
TAKE LOCAL ACTION: Contact bill@winogradforcongress.com to receive instructions for easy, virtual phone-banking from home. A few hours of your time or a few calls every day can make a big difference!
Randy Shannon
May 2, 2010, Pittsburgh, PA
Join PDA’s Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here.
Published by Beaver County Blue.
The Deep Horizons ultra-deepwater dynamic positioned semi-submersible oil drilling rig, lying upside down a mile below sea level, was built and owned by Transocean Limited of Vernier, Switzerland. This rig was the most technologically advanced drilling machine on earth, designed to tap oil reserves miles below the ocean’s surface. It was completed in 2001 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea. British Petroleum was leasing the rig at a cost of one-half million dollars per day to exploit oil and gas trapped under tremendous pressure miles below.
April’s Healthcare for All call focused more intensely than usual on the actions PDA members and all supporters of Medicare for All can take individually and as a group.
Candidate for Congress (CA-36) Marcy Winograd’s address to the California Democratic Party, April18, 2010, Los Angeles.
TAKE ACTION TODAY: Phone Bank for a True Progressive Candidate running against Blue Dog Jane Harman. Phone banking continues
until election day, June 8.
Phone bank from anywhere – contact bill@winogradforcongress.com
Learn more about Marcy’s campaign here: http://winogradforcongress.com/
PDA national director Tim Carpenter interviews PDA advisory board member Rep. Jim McGovern from Massachusetts’ third congressional district on the upcoming Afghanisatn supplemental appropriation bill, Medcare for all and state efforts to pass single-payer healthcare, and the contributions of grassroots activists. In the second portion of the show, U.S. Sentate candidate Jonathan Tasini is interviewed. Tasini has twice been endorsed by PDA: in his race against Hilary Clinton in 2006 and earlier this year in his race against Kisten Gillibrand.
You’re invited to an April 26th benefit for Truthout.org and Marin Peace & Justice Coalition.
Monday, April 26, 2010
7:00pm – 9:30pm
San Rafael Community Center
618 B Street
San Rafael, CA
George Lakoff, Cynthia Boaz, Rose Aguilar and Norman Solomon will be participating in a public discussion about the challenges facing progressives and the strategies which can help progressives organize for democracy.
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Please join us for the next Grassroots Leadership Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.
The conference provides time to meet with and learn from each other, where to find and how to use the tools and resources available to you, and plotting our course for the rest of the year.
CLICK HERE for Draft Agenda, to register for the Early Bird Special and to reserve your room. Hope to see you there!
http://roselandearthday.shutterfly.com/
PDSC supports this event and will have a table there.
Come visit us! and show your support for this community event by coming out on Sunday.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Roseland Elementary School
950 Sebastopol Road
Santa Rosa, CA
http://blog.pdamerica.org/2010/04/earth-day-and-climate-crisis/
Join the PDA Stop Global Warming Issue Organizing Team (IOT)!
http://pdsonoma.org/article/join-pda-issue-organizing-team
Harvey Wasserman
April 21, 2010
Take Action: Tell Congress: No nukes—we want a carbon tax with revenue returned to households!
Published by AlterNet.
The Climate Bill is due on Earth Day. By all accounts it will be a nuclear bomb.
It will be the ultimate challenge of the global grassroots green movement to transform it into something that can actually save the planet.
Here’s audio of Norman Solomon’s interview Monday April 19, on KPFA Radio, assessing what just happened with the progressive challenge to state party endorsement of Rep. Jane Harman at the Democratic convention. (The interview begins 20 seconds after 01:10).
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April 21, 2010
Earth, Taxes, and a Supplement à la carte
March saw the seventh anniversary of the Iraq invasion, and many Brown Bag Lunch Vigils (BBLV) commemorated that. This month, over one hundred vigils across the country will remind our elected representatives and neighbors that our tax money goes in the wrong direction when it goes to military spending.
Norman Solomon
April 21, 2010
This is a grim story about the care and feeding of a Blue Dog.
Right now, Congresswoman Jane Harman is facing a serious primary challenge from a genuine progressive, Marcy Winograd, in Southern California’s 36th congressional district.
Last Saturday afternoon (April 17), I sat on stage with both candidates and other panelists at a forum during the California Democratic Party convention in Los Angeles. The room was filled with several hundred progressive delegates.
Harman has been refusing to debate her opponent, but she couldn’t stay away from the forum that afternoon. The entire convention would be voting the next day on whether to withhold endorsement of her for re-election.
Jo Comerford
April 13, 2010
Take Action: Eat lunch for peace—become a brown-bagger.
We don’t just have a revenue problem in this country—we have a values and priorities problem.
Published by Alternet.org.
Matt Ryan, the mayor of Binghamton, New York, is sick and tired of watching people in local communities “squabble over crumbs,” as he puts it, while so much local money pours into the Pentagon’s coffers and into America’s wars. He’s so sick and tired of it, in fact, that, urged on by local residents, he’s decided to do something about it. He’s planning to be the first mayor in the United States to decorate the façade of City Hall with a large, digital “cost of war” counter, funded entirely by private contributions.
Marcy will be in Sacramento and Berkeley Friday (April 9) and Saturday (April 10) for several events. Please try to attend and bring a friend.
Sacramento Evening with Marcy Winograd and her friends Norman Solomon, Barbara Lubin & Rebecca Griffin Discussing “The Path to Peace”
Co-Sponsored by Peace Action West, Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento, Progressive Democrats of America, Richard Hundrieser, and Mike Whiteside.
Friday, April 9 at 7:00 pm
Additional event details, click here.
OR contact Rich Hundrieser:
r.hundrieser@comcast.net
916.622.8683
The 2010 California Democratic Convention is almost upon us.
On April 16th Democrats from all over the state will converge at the Los Angeles Convention Center .
Mark your calendars and be there!
April 16th – 19th
The Progressive Caucus will meet on:
Saturday, April 17th
4 – 6 pm
At The JW Marriott Hotel
across the street from the Convention Center
Sonoma County PDA’ers, both Convention delegates and those who are not, will be attending the Convention. We’d love to see you there! You do not need to be a delegate in order to attend the Caucus meetings.
Will you be in LA for the CA Democratic Party State Convention?
Don’t miss this special event!
Friends of the Progressive Caucus Present
Party with Progressives at the Convention!
with ….
JIM HIGHTOWER . JANE HAMSHER . NORMAN SOLOMON
And much more!
Friday, April 16th 7 – 9 pm
Details Here
Since several people tried unsuccessfully to join this month’s call, we’re happy to compensate for faulty technology with the recording from this rich and informative conference.
Mary Nichols-Rhodes spoke first, describing the plans for the US Social Forum this June in Detroit and the National Peace Conference this July in Albany. Michael Darner, Legislative Director for Rep. John Conyers, discussed the Afghanistan legislation in play, but his most important piece of information came as a response to the question of whether Representative Conyers will commit to voting no on the supplemental budget request for $33 billion for Afghanistan. Darner said that Conyers is committed to voting against any military funding and expansion. ...
Healthcare NOT Warfare co-chair Norman Solomon spoke about how the Brown Bag Lunch Vigils are a good tool in moving our representatives to “no” votes on the supplemental. ...
Finally, Bruce Taub, coordinator for the Israel/Palestine Action Group, addressed the efforts being made to cut off funding to Israel while it continues expansion into Palestinian areas and attacks on Gaza.
David Swanson
April 7, 2010
Add Jim McGovern to the list. That makes 15! See whip list: http://defundwar.org
And three have told PDA they will speak out and whip their colleagues: Kucinich, McGovern, and Conyers. The latter is forming an Out of Afghanistan Caucus.
We are an affiliated chapter of Progressive Democrats of America (PDA)
MOVIE NIGHT!
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
NOTE: Early start time for Wednesday’s meeting, in order that we may enjoy Movie Night and still have time for an endorsement meeting to follow.
PDSonoma meets the 2nd Wednesday of every month except December.
New Members and Guests Always Welcome!
Refreshments can be ordered and enjoyed in our meeting room. Please arrive early if you wish to order refreshments.
Healthcare advocates from fourteen states met in Wayne, Penn., April 10, 2010. The following Declaration is a result of the meeting. Add your name to the Declaration! PDA is planning actions around the country when our goal of 25,000 signatures is met.
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