Tricounty DFA update; meetups next week in GF and Saratoga and more
Hello Everyone!

In this update:

1. Meetups Wednesday, 6pm in Glens Falls, 7:30pm in Saratoga
2. DFA take over at DNC complete
3. Great Town Meeting on Social Security last Monday
4. John Sweeney fighting for DeLay
5. Hevesi Event Saturday
6. Gore Address
7. Trade Alert

1. Meetups Wednesday, 6pm in Glens Falls, 7:30pm in Saratoga

The first of the month is coming around so there will be Meetups in Glens Falls and Saratoga this coming Wednesday!

In Glens Falls we will be meeting at a special time: 6pm, not our usual 7pm. At the last meeting we voted to move up the time so Matt Funiciello can present folksinger Dave Lippman. To quote Matt, "Dave is better known as "George Shrub - The World's Only
Known Singing CIA Agent". He gained much recent fame when NPR began to air his singles, "I Hate Walmart" and the always-appropriate, "Teenage Immigrant Welfare Mothers On Drugs". According to Matt tickets will be on sale for $10 and the concert starts at 8pm.

Starting at 6pm gives us plenty of time for our May agenda. I'll have more on this over the weekend, but I anticipate a presentation by our candidates. It's also time we took at look at adopting a mission statement for our local DFA group. We will also be discussing our national DFA agenda; they are urging us to engage in a local community volunteer project to bring attention to DFA, our people and the progressive things we stand for. The floor will be open to suggestions. We all will be getting information directly from Burlington on this.

Remember, 6pm and we will be starting on time because we have to get done by 7:30. To reach the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, take Exit 18 of the Northway east into downtown Glens Falls. Past the Hannaford Supermarket, bear right at the Stewart's store. Go past the Post Office and the Hospital to the first intersection before the main intersection downtown. The Cafe is by the light, at the corner of Elm and Exchange Streets and Hudson Avenue.

Pat Friesen has scheduled a Meetup for Wednesday as well. I hope to have more for you over the weekend.

2. Dean take over at DNC complete

I had a great conversation tonight with DFA Executive Director, Tom Hughes. Tom expressed his best wishes to all of you and thanks everyone for all we've been doing in DFA!

Tom also confirmed something I noticed in an email I received from the Democratic National Committee today; Tom McMahon the former Executive Director of Democracy For America sent out his first message to us as --- the Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee! Tom Hughes agrees this means the Deaniac takeover of the DNC is complete: Howard Dean, Chair, Tom McMahon, Executive Director, and Laura Gross, Communications Director (formerly communications director of DFA). And others, I gather.

Sign up for DNC updates from Governor Dean and new DNC Executive Director Tom McMahon:Sign Up With Our DNC!

3. Great Town Meeting on Social Security last Monday

I want to thank everyone who turned out for the Town Meeting monday on Social Security, sponsored by the In This Together Coalition, which we endorsed last month. One of our youngest members, Kam Spaulding, spoke to rousing applause! Congratulations to Kam and the organizers for a great job.

4. John Sweeney fighting for DeLay

News comes tonight that Rep. John Sweeney has more on his mind than those two great burning crises facing America: baseball players taking steriods and horses getting turned into dog chow. Yes, "shut it down" Sweeney has a new cause, saving America's most corrupt Congressional leader, Tom DeLay, so he can go and sin again (and again and again and... well, you get the idea). Check out this account in the Hill Magazine: Sweeney

5. Hevesi Event Friday

There will be a fundraiser for NY State Comptroller Alan Hevesi sponsored by Saratoga County Democratic Chair Larry Bulman, Saratoga Springs Democratic Chair Shawn Thompson, and former Saratoga Springs Mayor Ken Klotz, tomorrow, Friday, April 29, 2005 from 5:30pm-7:00pm at One America Way, Saratoga Springs. Tickets are $50, with Sponsors at $100. Wine & light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Please RSVP to Mary Carr: 518-584-7735

6. Gore Address

The man who won the 2000 election, Al Gore, gave a major speech yesterday on the counter-revolution the radical Republicans are trying to stage against everything we've achieved as a nation since 1776. Some people think it's the best speech Gore has ever given. Print and video at:
Gore

7. Trade Alert

Can't sent out an update without some good links; the trade issue and more non-empirical globalization agreements that fly in the face of all experience are coming before Congress again, this time CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which will extend the failures of NAFTA to Central America: CAFTA at DU

This is from Mark Weisbrot of the Center For Economic and Policy Research. Center For Economic and Policy Research


The Center sends out regular email updates that on economic policy are really the best available, and unlike the high priced Wall Street types, they are free.

See you all next week!

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 10:12 PM