Progressive Democrats Sonoma County

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA presents an evening with:

JOHN NICHOLS, Washington correspondent for The Nation magazine,

MICHAEL LIGHTY, Policy Director of the California Nurses Association,

and NORMAN SOLOMON, Co-chair of the national Healthcare NOT Warfare Campaign.

WHEN: Saturday, October 15, 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:30.

WHERE: Guzman Hall, Dominican University; 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901.

Go here for a campus map

This is a rare opportunity to see these three dynamic leaders and speakers together in one room. Join us for an evening of community and celebration in support of Healthcare NOT Warfare!

No entry charge. Donations accepted. Wheel-chair accessible.

Cosponsored by the Expressions Program of the Humanities Department, Dominican University.

An Evening with:

JOHN NICHOLS
Washington correspondent for
The Nation Magazine

MICHAEL LIGHTY
Policy Director of the California
Nurses Association

and
NORMAN SOLOMON
Co-Chair of the national
Healthcare Not Warfare Campaign

April 18, 2011

Dear Representative Woolsey,

It is time to begin the “safe and orderly withdrawal” of troops and contractors in Afghanistan. The best way to effect this is by enacting HR 780, Rep. Barbara Lee’s “Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act.”

This is legislation whose time has come, and your cosponsorship can lead to the end of America’s longest war, with its tragic loss of life and debilitating loss of money that can better be spent here at home. Thank you for cosponsoring this vital legislation.

Moderator: Kurt Bateman, IOT Co-Coordinator and Director Single Payer Action Network (SPAN) Ohio

Lead Report: Dr. Deborah Richter has practiced family medicine in Cambridge, VT, for 13 years. She is past president of Physicians for a National Health Program and is current president of Vermont Health Care for All. The co-author of At the Crossroads: The Future of Health Care in Vermont, she will provide an update on Vermont and explain what PDA folks can do to help going forward.

Political Commentary: Steve Cobble, PDA co-founder and PDA Advisory Board member, with his perspective from Vermont Governor Shumlin’s meetings in DC.

CLICK HERE to listen to audio recording of this IOT call.

Join the PDA Healthcare for ALL Issue Organizing Team (IOT). Learn more here

UPDATE: Michael Lighty WILL be with us in Santa Rosa on April 28. Along with Rep. Lynn Woolsey, he will be joined by Norman Solomon, Co-Chair of the Healthcare Not Warfare Campaign and Tim Carpenter, Conor Boylan, Dr. Bill Honigman and Steve Cobble of the PDA national team. Space is limited. RSVP required: http://www.pdamerica.org/events/view/pda-roadshow-is-coming-to-santa-rosa

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The Week in PDA
by Conor Boylan
April 17, 2011

The week culminates in Earth Day, but there’s plenty of action before then, as our largest Issue Organizing Team and one of our most active IOTs hold their calls this week.

Click Here for details.

By Donna Smith, PDA Healthcare NOT Warfare Campaign Co-chair
March 24, 2011

This time we’re off to California with events throughout the state in advance of the Democratic Party state convention. Full details will follow, so for those of you in California, plan to spend some time on Healthcare NOT Warfare activities, and let’s spread the campaign ever wider.

For the past couple of months, PDA has been on the road doing the person-to-person, mind and heart work of organizing those who support our Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign.

Read the Rest Here

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For a schedule of all of the upcoming PDA IOT calls, click here

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March 16, 2011
Santa Rosa, CA

Dear Representative Woolsey,

Since January 2010, the Brown Bag Lunch Vigils have been out in front of our representatives’ and senators’ offices, on street corners, and in parks to get the word out to our community that this country can give everyone access to healthcare, make jobs available to those who need them, stem the increase of carbon in our air, and correct the balance of power and wealth between those who have and those who have not. The common thread among many of our goals is that naysayers must be able to step out of their comfort zones and understand the terrible effects these problems have on ordinary people.

That’s no easy task, even for the most enlightened of us. Something that helps people see the importance of making sure that others in our country can take care of themselves—or receive help when they can’t—is seeing a goal laid out in print in a piece of simple legislation.

PDA Press Release
March 15, 2011

Progressive Democrats of America and allies have planned vigils at congress members’ offices in districts all over the United States for midday Wednesday. They will be demanding an end to the war in Afghanistan the same day General David Petraeus is questioned by the House Armed Services Committee and the day before the House is scheduled to vote on ending the war (resolution HCR 28).

“People everywhere have been supporting the activism in Madison, Wisconsin, this week,” said PDA National Director Tim Carpenter. “We’ve seen a people’s movement compel Democrats to stand up straight and push back, a far superior outcome than continued ‘bipartisanship,’ in the view of most Americans. We’re taking that energy national this week to insist on a change in priorities. Our country is bankrupt morally, not financially. We need to move the money where it can do some good.”

Read the Rest Here

February 25, 2011
By Tim Carpenter

After bailing out the bazillionaires on Wall Street, and throwing billions at a bad war in Iraq and a failed war in Afghanistan, the GOP’s answer to the voters of America is austerity and more sacrifice for anyone earning under a hundred grand a year—and that’s most of us. We can kiss goodbye our jobs, home ownership, our children’s education, healthcare, Social Security, and a host of other necessities that generate prosperity.

Read the Rest Here

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CLICK HERE to learn more or register for the calls.

February 14, 2011 | By The Office of Congressman John Conyers, Jr.

While the reform law that was passed by Congress is the first national commitment to providing meaningful access to healthcare, I believe that a single-payer, universal healthcare system is the only way we can truly reshape our broken healthcare system. Here is my proposal:

Read the Full Story Here

Clearing the way for a progressive future

by Norman Solomon
January 28, 2011

Sure you want to jump into that cesspool?”

I’ve heard countless variations of the same question in recent months, as the possibility of running for Congress has become more real. With all the big-money hit pieces and mud fights that pass for “politics” these days, no wonder so many people see election campaigns as little more than depravity masquerading as democracy.

But there are lives in the balance, near and far, from the North Bay to Afghanistan. A list of what’s at stake would be endless: the rights of workers, the ecology of rivers and the injustices of a healthcare system largely run for corporate profit.

Read the Full Story Here

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RN ALERT

JOIN THE NURSES — PROTEST BLUE SHIELD’S OUTRAGEOUS RATE HIKES !!!

Tuesday, February 1st, 11:00 a.m.
Blue Shield Headquarters
50 Beale Street, San Francisco

Blue Shield is pushing through rate hikes for individual patients of up to 59%, even though the corporation is sitting on nearly $3 billion in excess revenue. Blue Shield’s price gouging– that prompts patients to skip needed medical care and forces families into bankruptcy due to medical bills — is a reminder of why insurance is not healthcare. It’s time to stand up to Blue Shield and the other insurance giants and continue the fight for guaranteed healthcare for all!

Covered on this call:

1. Introductions—Dr. Bill Honigman, PDA Healthcare for All IOT coordinator and California State Coordinator

2. National Single Payer Movement—Katie Robbins, Healthcare-NOW!

3. States Single Payer Movement–Chuck Pennacchio, Healthcare for All Pennsylvania

4. Field Reports—virtual roundtable

5. Actions/Events/Open Discussion

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN to recording of the call

Norman Solomon
January 27, 2011, Marin, CA

Published by San Francisco Bay Guardian.

One of the most inspiring political leaders in recent decades, Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), famously declared: “I represent the democratic wing of the Democratic Party.” Today we need progressives in Congress who will represent the progressive wing of the Progressive Caucus.

That’s the largest caucus on Capitol Hill—but having 80 members on the roster won’t do much good if many cave under pressure.

For 18 years, the North Bay has been represented in Congress by Rep. Lynn Woolsey. Her strong antiwar voice and very progressive voting record have endeared her to a lot of constituents. Now she’s publicly saying that she may choose to retire instead of seeking reelection.

Read the Full Story Here