Tricounty Meetup Report
Hello Everyone;

In this update:

1. Meetup Report
2. DFA Action Day
3. Social Security Birthday with In This Together
4. Social Security Debate in Hyde Park
5. Glens Falls Municipal Issues Forum
6. The Meaning of Hackett and Ohio
7. Leo Strauss
8. Is the Dear Leader a Gogo fan?

1. Meetup Report

We had another successful Meetup yesterday at the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe. We agreed to participate in DFA's national Action Day For August on the Downing Street Memo, discussed some In This Together Events and had a lively forum on municipal issues for the Glens Falls mayoral race.

2. DFA Action Day

We are asking for a group of our DFA members to meet with representatives of Rep. John Sweeney, or the Congressman himself, although that is unlikely, to discuss the Downing Street Memo. This action will be on August 17th from 12:30 to 1pm +. This is a working meeting to discuss the DSM and urge every member of Congress to press for a full investigation of the Downing Street Memo, with special focus on whether or not the US went to war in Iraq on false premises. I know this is an issue close to all of us, who started either protesting against the war and then became involved in progressive campaigns like Howard Dean's.

I sent in the request for the meeting this morning. If they respond as they did in April for our Social Security Action Day, we will meet in the lobby of the Rogers Building, 21 Bay Street, across from Crandall Library in downtown Glens Falls. A number of our members have already signed up, but we would like more. If you would like to participate in our Action Day, please RSVP to me as soon as possible. However, a good number of our members have already committed to attending, it will go on (if they respond) in any event.

3. Social Security Birthday with In This Together

Next week, August 10 at 12:30, the In This Together Coalition will be celebrating the 70th birthday of Social Security. They will be visiting Congressman Sweeney's office to present him a Social Security Birthday cake.

I think this is really a winner because it is so humorous and visual. This is also at Sweeney's office in the Rogers Building at 21 Bay. Meet in the lobby before hand.

4. Social Security Debate in Hyde Park

Also, at Hyde Park, NY National Monument home of President Franklin Roosevelt, on Saturday, August 13 there will be a program to celebrate Social Security's 70th birthday. The brilliant economist and New York Times' columnist Paul Krugman will debate the future of social security with someone from the right wing Cato Institute. Call Michelle Myers of In This Togetehr at 465-4600 ext 110 for more info.

5. Glens Falls Municipal Issues Forum

At our meetup Wednesday we had a very successful forum on municipal issues facing the City of Glens Falls. I took extensive notes of what was brought up and they represent a fair cross section of voter's concerns. Per our meeting, I have sent them to all five candidates for mayor in Glens Falls asking for them to respond, as well as the Post Star and Chronicle. The full text of the issues is in a preceding posting.

6. The Meaning of Hackett and Ohio

I have to make a note on the Congressional By-Election in Ohio as it relates to us here in the 20th Congressional District. It may be hard to believe, but Ohio-2 is in fact more Republican than the 20th. We actually have better registration stats than they do. What's more, many of our Republicans here in upstate NY are old style Rockefeller Republicans. Unlike the Republicans in southern Ohio, they are not hard right "movement conservatives". In fact, Ohio-2 is almost southern. As those of us who were involved in the Dean campaign know, many of the Rockefeller Republicans came out for Governor Dean; they liked him a lot and from the ones I still encounter, they still do. Their votes are "gettable."

What this means for us, is that if Paul Hackett can come within four points in Ohio-2, then the prospects for Democrats here in the 20th NY are even brighter. After all, we did have a Democrat back in the 70s, which they didn't. But much depends upon all of us. It won't happen unless we make it happen. This is our time of calling and of challenge. Will we rise to history's spotlight? Or let the country and the world down? I believe we can do it! This group has shown amazing perseverance over the last two and a half years. Our movement has already changed America. We began to Take Back America by Taking Back The White House. Now we can Take Back America by Taking Back The House -- the House of Representatives. Together we can take the 20th blue in 2006!

7. Leo Strauss

For all our education, I would recommend Thom Hartmann's review of a new book on neocon guru Leo Strauss. Strauss is little know to the general public, but his work has had profound -- and disastrous -- consequences for America. Much of this thinking underlies the extremism of the new reactionary right we have confronted in the last few years. We need to know our enemy. http://www.buzzflash.com/hartmann/05/08/har05008.html

8. Is the Dear Leader a Gogo fan?

Finally, on the lighter side:

Remember that great Gogos song, "Vacation"? It goes, vacation is all I ever wanted, vacation, got to get away..."

Looks like "W" agrees. According to the Seattle Times, here the Dear Leader's vacation stats:
49 - the number of vacations that Bush has taken since he was inaugurated in 2001
5 - the number of weeks that Bush will spend on vacation, starting yesterday. It is the longest presidential vacation in at least 36 years.
319 - August 3, 2005 was the 319th day Bush has spent on vacation since his 2001 inauguration.
20% - the fraction of Bush's presidency that he has spent on vacation
Now:

23 - the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq in August alone. That's right. In three days, 23 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq.
1,822 - the total number of U.S. troops who have died in Bush's illegal Iraq war, as of August 3, 2005.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002417607_crawford03.html

Thanks everyone! Hope to see many of you at the Action Day on the 17th. The municipal forum points are below.

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 3:16 PM