Tricounty DFA: Pre-election update
Hello Everyone;

This is a pre-election update in addition to our earlier Vigil Flash update.

In this update:

1. Vigil Wednesday.
2. Indictments Coming?
3. $5 to Meet A Mayor! Not $500!
4. Reception on 29th for Kirsten
5. Washington County Events
6. New Blog Tools at DFA-Link!
7. Walking with Val
8. Literature Drop Volunteers needed
9. Conyers on Voting Machines
10. Linkups Next week!

1. Vigil Wednesday.

As most of you probably now know, according to Blog For America, Staff Sergeant George T. Alexander Jr., of Killeen, Texas was the 2,000th US military fatality in Iraq. He was wounded by a roadside bomb in Samarra, a town 60 miles north of Baghdad, last Monday, October 17th. He died in San Antonio, Texas last weekend.

At DFA's call, we will be holding a quiet, speech free vigil at or around the bandstand in City Park in Downtown Glens Falls, today, Wednesday, October 26, at 6:30pm. Please come, bring a friend, a candle and a sign of your own making, witnessing for peace. A paper cup to hold the candle to prevent wax drippings is also requested. The vigil will last approximated a half hour to an hour.

We are all upset by the war, but the primary purpose of this vigil is to bear witness for and remember those who have died, to bear witness for peace, and to silently protest war.

To confirm or get directions, please go to http://political.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=6089
and click on that you plan to attend. (we really appreciate those confirmations -- and it helps with media coverage!)

There will also be vigils in downtown Saratoga Springs at 7pm and in Clifton Park in front of Congressman John Sweeney's office at 3:30pm. As we all know, Rep. Sweeney voted for the war.

2. Indictments Coming?

The newswires are buzzing tonight that major indictments in the "Plamegate" spy exposure scandal will be coming imminently. Together with the sad and tragic death of Staff Sergeant Alexander, October 26th will likely go down as one of the most pivotal in U.S. history. For more on what is coming: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.main/index.html

3. $5 to Meet A Mayor! Not $500!

You’re invited! You don’t have to spend $500.-a-plate to meet a candidate for Mayor.
But, for 5 bucks, Val Keehn will treat you like you did.
Got $5* to spare? That’s all you need to meet Val Keehn, candidate for Mayor, at her fundraiser.

When: Thursday, October 27
Where: Union Gables Inn, 55 Union Ave.
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Donation: $5 -a-plate*

We’ll share simple snacks and drinks while you and Valerie get to meet and talk.
*Actually, you’ll get in even if you can’t swing the 5 bucks, because Val welcomes everyone.
Check out Val's great flyer at our blog: http://townmeetingday.blogspot.com just scroll down a bit.

4. Reception on 29th for Kirsten

You are cordially invited to a meet and greet reception for Kirsten Gillibrand!

As most of you know, Kirsten is preparing to enter the Congressional race against Representative John Sweeney. If you haven’t had a chance to meet her, this is it!

When: Saturday, October 29, 5:00-7:00 pm
Where: 180 Combs Road, Warrensburg, NY

RSVP Sean Gavin at SeanTGavin@gmail.com
For further information call Sean at 518-755-4276
For directions enroute, please call: 518-623-4407

Directions:

From the South: take I-87 N to Exit 23 Warrensburg. Turn left at end of exit ramp; proceed west to traffic light at US-9 (0.2 miles). Right turn onto US-9; proceed north through Warrensburg (0.7 miles) to intersection with NY-Rte. 418 (Richards Ave.). Turn left onto Rte 418, proceed west 3.5 miles, crossing into the Town of Thurman. NY Rte. 418 ends at three-way intersection with Athol Rd. Turn right onto Athol Rd., proceed up the hill; bear right through Thurman (passing the Post Office and the Town Hall). Turn right onto Glen-Athol Rd.; proceed until the Y-intersection with Valley Rd. Turn left onto Valley Rd., proceeding approximately two miles. Combs Rd. has two entrances on the right; take the second Combs Rd. entrance. 180 Combs Rd. will be the second house on the left-hand side of the road.

From the North: I-87 N to Exit 25, Rte. 8. Turn right onto Rte. 8, proceed west through Wevertown (passing through intersection with Rte. 28) into Johnsburg. In Johnsburg, make a left turn onto So. Johnsburg Rd.; proceed approximately 8 miles south on So. Johnsburg Rd., entering into the town of Thurman. Bear left at the intersection with Mountain Rd. (at this point, So. Johnsburg Rd. becomes Valley Rd.). In less than a mile, the first of two Combs Rd. entrances will be on your left; turn left into the first entrance. 180 Combs Rd. will be the second house on the left-hand side of the road

This reception is hosted by George and Robin Latimer.

5. Washington County Events

October 29, Saturday, 4-7:00 PM, Open House for Granville Candidates Sheila Comar and Frank Caruso at Mary and Nicholas Silitch's house, 10272 Route 22, North Granville, contact Mary Silitch, 642-9410, silitch@erols.com

November 3, Thursday, 6-8:00 PM, Meet Greenwich Candidates, Suzanne Cohen and Lisa Manzi upstairs at One One One Resturant on Main St. in Greenwich, contact Lisa Manzi 854-3388

6. New Blog Tools at DFA-Link!

This week DFA unveiled a powerful new tool for all the local DFA-Links (what we used to call Meetups). We now have a group blog. This blog is open to use by everyone who has registered with DFA-Link. You can use it to express yourself on any issue that concerns you -- and it's easy. Go to http://tools.democracyforamerica.com/link/group.php?id=113 which is our page, and check it out! If you haven't registered yet, you will need to do so -- in fact, if you haven't, you have all the more reason to do so now. To register go to: http://www.DFA-Link.com/register.php?c=g&id=91042f3ae603ef90 enter your name and email address, pick a password, then click the button at the bottom to join up with our group to use this new tool.

I would note some people, when they registered with DFA-Link, accidentally missed hitting the button to join a local group. There really isn't much point to registering with DFA-Link if you aren't in one of our Linkups, so you might want to check to make sure you have.

7. Walking with Val

Again, from Nedra on the front lines in Saratoga Springs:

"If you have not gotten involved yet, now is the time. These last two weeks are so very important and Val intends to make the most of them. She will be walking in neighborhoods as much as she can. What we need to do is make those walks more visible. The way to do that is to create groups of 4 to 6 on each walk. So please look at your calendars and see if there isn't a time when you can join Val and other volunteers on these walks.

Here are the times for this week:

Friday 10/28 4:30-6:30
Sat. 10/29 12-5 (you could choose any part of this time)
Sun. 10/30 12-3

Per usual, meet Val at headquarters unless you hear differently from her or me.
Thank you so much. Nedra"

8. Literature Drop Volunteers needed

Breakfast and Blitz: Join us for the Final Literature Drop on behalf of all the Saratoga Springs Democratic Candidates

Saturday, November 5th, 10 to 11:30am at The Parting Glass

1. Stop in and have bagels & muffins and coffee/tea/juice.
2. Head out with your pre-packed Literature Drop bags assembled with an election district map and materials for distribution that weekend.


Donations gladly accepted!
Let us know you’re coming. Email: jstuchi1@nycap.rr.com or phone 583-7855
Election Day is 72 Hours LATER!!!
We need to keep working through Election Day. Bring your family along, bring friends!

9. Conyers on Voting Machines

As you may know from the last couple of meetings, we are trying to get an educational forum set up for the next month or so on voting machine technology with Bo Lipari of New York Verified Voting. We will be having more info on this soon.

In the meanwhile, Congressman John Conyers has a report about the many, many, troubling problems with computerized voting machines that were discovered by the non-partisan Government Accounting Office -- it seems they do in fact have fundamental security flaws, as many have predicted:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/21/115027/30

If you want to help with this forum, please contact our Voting Rights Committee Chair Bob Rockwell at rrockwel@nycap.rr.com or me.

For more on this issue: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1018-22.htm

10. Linkups Next week!

Remember, next week is the first of the month and a new DFA-Linkup. Because of the press of news on local elections, I'll have another posting on that in a couple of days.

Thanks everyone! See you tomorrow at the Vigil.

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:38 PM