Stand Up! Take Action! Vote!
This IOT conference call had its usual stellar lineup of guests, including last-minute guest Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
PDA Conference Call Guests: David Swanson, Cole Harrison of UFPJ, PDA Field Director Conor Boylan,
Brown Bag Lunch Vigils (BBLV) partner David Swanson started the call off with comments on and advice for the BBLVs, to move the vigils to a higher degree of action, and he spoke about the legislation to halt Afghanistan funding.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN & to read more
Join PDA’s End War & Occupations, Redirect Funding Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here.
Senator Mark Leno, author of Senate Bill 810, says that it’s time for Californians to be innovators once again. We can become the first state to enact a publicly funded, privately delivered single payer health care system that will cover everybody and save money.
Byron DeLear
March 1, 2010
Join PDA’s Healthcare for All Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here
Published by Examiner.com.
A report released Thursday entitled, “Lives on the Line: The Deadly Cost of Delaying Health Reform,” sheds light on the real moral issue at the heart of America’s national debate on health care: people needlessly dying because they don’t have access to preventive or primary medical care.
At a current rate of 68 deaths each and every day, the Families USA report cautions that without immediate action on health care reform, the body count will grow to a shocking 84 people a day in 2019: this is over 30,000 dead each year; a far more conservative estimate than the well-known Harvard study claiming 45,000 unnecessary deaths are happening each year.
Norman Solomon
February 25, 2010
Take Action: Tell Congress Stop funding war
Playwright Lillian Hellman said: “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.”
The statement was in a letter to the House Un-American Activities Committee. The year was 1952. We tell ourselves that the McCarthy era was vastly different than our own—but what about the political fashions of 2010?
This year’s fashions cut mean figures on Washington’s runways. Conformities lie, and people die.
We’d love to have you join us on our new Facebook Page, created for PDA supporters and Friends in Marin Co. and Sonoma County, CA. Invite Friends to join!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Progressive-Democrats-North-Bay/289138693740?ref=mf
Dear Single-Payer Supporter:
If you’re in the San Francisco area, please attend this rally for single-payer healthcare.
Medicare for All Rally
Join with activists from the California Physicians Alliance, California Alliance for Retired Americans, Gray Panthers, and Single Payer Now to let President Obama know that we want Medicare for All.
When: Thurs. 10am, Feb. 25
Where: San Francisco Federal Building, 90 7th St., between Market and Mission – Civic Center
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On this month’s Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issues Organizing Team call, the following topics were covered: assembling a new leadership team for the IOT, and our campaign to achieve national climate legislation based on direct carbon pricing with revenue recycling. We discussed the Price Carbon Campaign’s strategy workshop and legislative lay of the land, and meeting with Congressional staff in Washington, DC, and around the country.
Join PDA’s Stop Global Warming/Environmental Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here
On this call we had -Donna Smith, Healthcare NOT Warfare co-chair, updated us from the Hill on where we stand and also the Brown Bag Lunch Vigil campaign from DC.
Chuck Pennacchio, Executive Director of Healthcare 4 All PA, updated us on single-payer progress in PA.
Ben Day, Executive Director of Mass-Care, updated us on MA.
The BBLV Team updated the group on where the campaign currently stands on the eve of the February BBLVs.
Join PDA’s Healthcare for All Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here
February 24, 2010
Click on the link below to hear archived radio show with Norman Solomon speaking about Afghanistan. The interview begins at 12:40 minutes into the program and was recorded this morning on KPFA.
By David Swanson
February 21, 2010
Everything you’re reading about torture lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee getting off the hook is wrong. They are not torture lawyers, they are not off the hook, there never was any hook, they may not be lawyers for long, impeachment and indictment are on the agenda, and you have a role to play.
By Marcy Winograd
For OpEd News
February 22, 2010
Imagine if in 2010 we did not spend one more borrowed penny to manufacture new weapons, occupy new lands, or recruit new mercenaries. Going cold turkey on military spending would wipe out nearly $1 trillion of our 1.6 trillion dollar deficit. A year and a half of war & weapons abstinence could erase our debt entirely.
February 22nd 2010. Donna Smith and Norman Solomon discuss Healthcare NOT Warfare and Brown Bag Lunch Vigils
Listen to “Healthcare NOT Warfare” national co-chairs Donna Smith and Norman Solomon in the next installment of Agitator Voices of PDA, a new series of podcasts from Progressive Democrats of America’s. It was a busy week for PDA activists and our allies as we gathered in front of 65 congressional offices for the second Brown Bag Lunch Vigil.
February 20, 2010
Progressive Democrats Sonoma County held its second Brown Bag Lunch Vigil in front of Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey’s office on Wednesday, calling for healthcare not warfare & for a ‘No’ vote on any further war funding. Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and allies held at least 60 similar vigils outside or in Congressional District offices around the country.
Sonoma County vigil participants were buoyed by the news that at the same time we were on the sidewalk, members of the PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign and allies were on Capitol hill, visiting the DC offices of these same 60 Representatives, delivering information on the costs of war to that Congressperson’s District and specific information on what the money could have paid for instead.
February 17, 2010
Dear Representative Woolsey,
We thank you for signing on to support HR 2454, calling for an exit strategy from Afghanistan & HR 3699, prohibiting any increase in the number of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
Further, we call on you to publicly commit to voting “No” on any bills that fund wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Yemen, and to publicly urge your colleagues and the House leadership to make the same commitment.
Norman Solomon
February 19, 2010
Take Action: Tell Congress We need an exit strategy for Af/Pak war
Published by Norman Solomon.com.
During the last couple of weeks, I’ve spoken to Democratic Party clubs and other activist groups from Santa Rosa and San Rafael to San Mateo County and the East Bay—some chartered by the state party, others affiliated with Democracy For America or Progressive Democrats of America, still others with no partisan affiliation.
Mark Leno
February 18, 2010, San Fransisco, CA
Published by The San Fransisco Chronicle
As outraged families and small businesses react to the latest health insurance premium increases, Californians are forced to face the fact that insurance companies are not in business to provide health care to people who need it. Premium increases are just part of the concerns—pre-existing condition denials, overturned doctors’ decisions, coverage rescissions and other insurance industry abuses are sadly commonplace.
It is impossible to make a profit serving customers who are likely to cost the insurer more than the premiums they pay. This means that if any one of us gets seriously sick or injured, we become an undesirable customer to health insurers. That’s the message Anthem Blue Cross sent to millions of Californians when it increased premiums by up to 39 percent. The insurer clearly doesn’t care if it loses these customers.
Conor Boylan, National Field Director, Progressive Democrats of America speaks with host Norman Solomon about current activism on behalf of progressive political agendas in the United States.
Donna Smith
February 17, 2010
Join PDA’s Healthcare for All Issue Organizing Team (IOT); learn more here
This week, the Healthcare Not Warfare campaign I help co-chair for Progressive Democrats of America becomes even more deeply personal for me. My son leaves for his volunteer tour of duty in Afghanistan. And I won’t be there to say goodbye. Because I advocate a position of peace, my son believes my priorities are off kilter, and for some time now he has believed that he goes to war so whiners at home can keep griping about less critical concerns—like healthcare or economic justice.
As is sadly the case with many parents and grown children, my son and I do not see eye-to-eye and that causes a distance of the heart that hurts everyone involved. Though separated, we are both on a mission.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
VIGILS AGAINST WAR FUNDING IN 60 DISTRICTS ON FEBRUARY 17
Brown Bag Lunch Vigils Spread from 22 Districts in January, Take Up Cry of “Brownbaggers Not Teabaggers!”
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) organized “brown bag” lunch vigils against war funding at noon on Wednesday, January 20th, at the district offices of 22 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. On February 17th, PDA will be joined by CODEPINK, AfterDowningStreet, Democrats.com, the California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee, and United for Peace and Justice in holding brown bag vigils outside (or inside) at least 6O congress members’ district offices around the country.
PDA is proud to introduce “The Agitator: Voices of PDA” a series of kitchen table conversations with members of the PDA community led by Tim Carpenter, PDA National Director. We hope you enjoy the conversation!
Guests in the inaugural broadcast include Thom Hartmann, author, radio host and PDA Advisory Board member; California Nurses Association/National Nurses Union Policy Director and PDA Board Member Michael Lighty; and PDA’s own Deputy Director and Communications Coordinator. Laura Bonham.
Ralph Lopez
February 11, 2010
Take Action: Eat lunch for peace—become a brown-bagger
Published by Daily KOS.
Unveiling a potentially powerful campaign which goes beyond pointless marching in the street on a Saturday in DC when no one is around, and the march is roundly, thoroughly, even aggressively ignored by the media, Progressive Democrats of America has come to a realization that International ANSWER has not. It’s our house.
From former PDSonoma County member and supporter Jack McCurdy, who moved out of the area last year ….
WOMEN, MINORITIES NEED TO APPLY NOW!
The Citizens Redistricting Commission, created by voters at the November, 2008, election, is recruiting members to redraw district lines of the State Assembly and Senate. But women and minorities are missing in action.
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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