Tricounty DFA Update: Meetup Wednesday and more
Hello Everyone;

In this update:

1. Vigil At Five Corners
2. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday
3. House Party For Gillibrand April 9
4. Bill Clinton Now Backs Dean And 50 State Plan
5. French Fight On For All
6. Kevin Phillip's Book And Article

1. Vigil At Five Corners

First , a salute to the small but dedicated group that showed up in the pouring rain Saturday at the Five Corners in downtown Glens Falls for another peace vigil, and Bernice Mennis for getting it going. Despite the rain, as before, passersby beeped horns, waved and gave the thumbs up and a few peace signs as a show of support for bringing American troops home and ending the Iraq disaster, which has now run three years.

2. Glens Falls DFA Meeting Wednesday

The war isn't the only thing three years old: next Wednesday at 7pm the Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe in downtown Glens Falls we will be celebrating our Third Anniversary Meetup-- now DFA-Linkup. It is hard to believe it was three years ago that a group of us first gathered to create the local Dean For America campaign.

I want to personally thank every single person who has come or lent their support to our group over the last three years! It has been an extraordinary experience and a signal priviledge; together, with our DFA comrades across the country, we have made history in building grassroots politics to Take Back America.

On the agenda Wednesday will be our program for action over the next few months. These will include: the Walmart Healthcare Law now before the State Legislature, upcoming voting machine demonstrations at the Civic Center (we hope to have more info shortly), this year's election campaigns and candidate forums.

The Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe is located on the corner of Exchange and Elm Streets and Hudson Avenue in downtown Glens Falls. To reach it from the Northway, take Exit 18 east into Glens Falls. Go past the Hannaford and bear right at the Stewart's,. Go past the Post Office and the Hospital until the light just before the five corners downtown. The cafe is on the left going towards the five corners. Please come and bring a friend!

3. House Party For Gillibrand April 9

Meet Kirsten Gillibrand!

Linda and Joe Seeman Cordially invite you to a reception for Kirsten Gillibrand, Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives 20th District, at our home in Ballston Spa, NY (Town of Milton) on Sunday, April 9, 2006 3pm until 5pm.

Please R.S.V.P. by Wed. April 5th to the phone or email address below.
Call for directions and details at 518-583-4326 or joe.seeman@yahoo.com

Note: Contributions are not expected but will be accepted.

4. Bill Clinton Now Backs Dean And 50 State Plan

Governor Dean's 50 State Strategy was initially derided by Old Politics Democrats as kooky, blogger nuttiness. Now the Governor's wisdom has become Conventional Wisdom. Even former President Clinton has now come on board to the 50 State Strategy, recognizing that it is the only long term hope to Take Back America.

The idea, along with the entire Dean inspired concept to build and empower grassroots is simple; the way to political victory won't come by figuring out how to win in the communities we have, but rather build communities we can win in.

For more: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/31/12272/6391
and http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/03/bill_clintons_a.html

This new universal acceptance is a tremendous victory not only for Governor Dean, but common sense itself.

5. French Fight On For All

The Battle Of France continues, as French students and workers take to the streets to fight Globalization and prevent the destruction of an alternative social model to raw free market capitalism advocated by neo-liberals and the neocons. This is a immensely important and under-or mis-reported story.

Here's a great quote from Common Dreams.org that makes some sense of what is going on:

"the classical economist David Ricardo's "iron law of wages,"... says that in conditions of wage competition and unlimited labor supply, wages will fall to just above subsistence."

"There never before has been unlimited labor. There is now, thanks to globalization - and the process has only begun."

"...European unrest signals a serious gap in political and corporate understanding of the human consequences of a capitalist model that considers labor a commodity and extends price competition for that commodity to the entire world."

"In the longer term, there may be more serious political implications in this than even France's politicized students suspect."

For the full article go to: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0329-29.htm
Also, this review from the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/29/books/29geog.html

It's good to remember that the French Republic's motto: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, was created by the early French Revolutionaries as the most distilled version they could create of the principles of the American Revolution, which they sought to emulate, at least initially.

6. Kevin Phillip's Book And Article

Finally, Dick has been reading Kevin Phillip's new book "American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century" and that it is a stunning "must read". There is a excerpt of the beginning on the Washington Post website and it is tremendous: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100004.html

Phillip's book is worth studying with deep care because it is the roadmap to a Democratic Victory: he lays out the themes we can win on this year and 2008.

See you all Wednesday for our third anniversary!

Many thanks to you all,

Larry
- posted by Larry Dudley @ 11:47 PM